Constance Rooke CNF Prize
Current Issue
News
Announcing the 2023 Long Poem Prize winners
Congratulations to Bren Simmers and Domenica Martinello (pictured).
Both will receive $1,250 CAD as well as publication in our summer issue #223.
Read more about the winners and what judges Bertrand Bickersteth and Jennifer Lynn Still had to say.
News
Shortlist for 2023 Long Poem Prize
We're pleased to announce the shortlist for our Long Poem Prize!
The two winners, as chosen by contest judges Bertrand Bickersteth and Jennifer Lynn Still, will be announced by April 13 on our website and social media pages. Who will win the two $1,250 CAD prizes and publication?
Announcing the 2023 Open Season Awards winners
Congratulations to Caroline Harper New (poetry), Deepa Rajagopalan (fiction), and Gloria Blizzard (cnf; pictured)! Judges Ki'en Debicki, Ben Lof, and Bahar Orang had great things to say about their work.
All three winners will receive $2,000 CAD each as well as publication in our spring issue #222.
Read more about the winning pieces and what the judges had to say.
News
Shortlists for 2023 Open Season Awards
We're pleased to announce the shortlists for our Open Season Awards!
The winners, as chosen by contest judges Ki'en Debicki (poetry), Ben Lof (fiction), and Bahar Orang (cnf), will be announced by January 20 on our website and social media pages. Who will win the three $2,000 CAD prizes and publication?
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Holiday Sale from now until Jan. 31!
A one-year print subscription includes four issues that will arrive throughout 2023—the perfect gift for literary friends, long-distance friends (we have subscribers all over the world), or for yourself.
Don't forget to use the code Holiday20 before checking out to receive the $20 discount!
Contests
Long Poem Prize—now open!
Our biennial contest is back! Send us your cycle of poems, your muti-part poems, and your too-long-to-submit-anywhere-else poems. Get an Early Bird discount ($15 off!) if you submit by December 31. Final deadline is February 1, 2023.
This year's judges are Bertrand Bickersteth and Jennifer Lynn Still. Keep an eye out for interviews with them in our December and January newsletters.
Two winners will take home CAD $1,250 each and publication in our summer issue #223.
Read the full contest guidelines.
News
Announcing the 2022 CNF Prize Winner
Congratulations to Andréa Ledding! Her winning essay, "Define Intervention," was chosen by judge D. A. Lockhart who had high praise for the work.
Andréa will receive a $1,250 CAD prize as well as publication in our winter issue #221.
Read more about the winning piece and what the judge had to say.
News
Shortlist for 2022 Constance Rooke CNF Prize
We're pleased to announce the shortlist for our CNF Prize!
The winner, as chosen by contest judge D. A. Lockhart, will be announced by October 13 on our website and social media pages. Who will win the $1,250 CAD prize and publication?
News
Announcing the 2022 Far Horizons Award for Poetry Winner
Congratulations to Meryem Yildiz! Her winning poem, "Inner Child Work," was chosen by judge Laura Ritland who had wonderful things to say about the work.
Meryem will receive a $1,250 CAD prize as well as publication in our fall issue #220.
Read more about the winning poem and what the judge had to say.
News
Shortlist for 2022 Far Horizons Award for Poetry
We're pleased to announce the shortlist for our Far Horizons Award for Poetry!
The winner, as chosen by contest judge Laura Ritland, will be announced by July 15 on our website and social media pages. Who will win the $1,250 CAD prize and publication?
Contests
Creative Nonfiction Prize contest—now open
We're accepting entries for our Constance Rooke Creative Nonfiction Prize contest. Deadline is August 1, but if you submit by June 30 you'll receive a $15 early bird discount on your initial entry fee!
This year's judge is D. A. Lockhart. Keep an eye out for an interview with him in our June newsletter.
Submit your essay(s) for a chance to win CAD $1,250 and publication in our winter 2022 issue #221.
Read the full contest guidelines.
E-Newsletter
Malahat lite: May 2022 Edition
Read interviews with spring issue #218 cnf contributor Ellise Ramos Open Season CNF Award winner Bahar Orang (pictured).
We've updated our regular submission guidelines. Questions about translation submissions, response time, or how much we pay per page? Head on over to our submission guidelines page.
Read this month's newsletter here.
News
Announcing the 2022 Novella Prize Winner
Congratulations to Jenny Ferguson! Her winning story, "Missing," was chosen by Rebecca Păpucaru and Alix Hawley who had wonderful things to say about the work.
Jenny will receive a $2,000 CAD prize as well as publication in our summer issue #219.
Read more about the winning novella and what the judges had to say.
News
Shortlist for 2022 Novella Prize
We're pleased to announce the shortlist for our Novella Prize!
The winner, as chosen by contest judges Rebecca Păpucaru and Alix Hawley will be announced by April 14 on our website and social media pages. Who will win the $2,000 CAD prize and publication?
E-Newsletter
Malahat lite: April 2022 Edition
Read interviews with Open Season Awards winners Sara Mang (fiction) and Kaitlin Debicki (poetry; pictured).
Our Far Horizons Award for Poetry deadline is May 1! This contest is specifically for writers who have yet to publish their poetry in book form. Submit up to three poems per entry for a chance to win CAD $1,000 and publication in our fall issue #220.
Read this month's newsletter here.
E-Newsletter
Malahat lite: March 2022 Edition
Read interviews with winter issue #217 cnf contributor Nataly Shaheen (pictured) and Far Horizons Award for Poetry judge Laura Ritland.
Our Far Horizons Award for Poetry deadline is May 1! This contest is specifically for writers who have yet to publish their poetry in book form. Submit up to three poems per entry for a chance to win CAD $1,000 and publication in our fall issue #220.
Read this month's newsletter here.
Contests
Far Horizons Award for Poetry—Now Open!
Calling all emerging poets—this contest is specifically for writers who haven't yet published a book of poetry. Deadline: May 1, 2022 at 11:59pm PDT.
This year's judge is Laura Ritland. Keep an eye out for an interview with her in our March newsletter.
Submit your poem(s) for a chance to win CAD $1,000 and publication in our fall 2022 issue #220.
Read the full contest guidelines.
E-Newsletter
Malahat lite: February 2022 Edition
Read interviews with winter issue #217 contributors Kanza Javed (fiction) and Laura Vukson (creative nonfiction; pictured).
Our biennial Novella Prize deadline has been extended to February 5 at 11:59pm PST! Submit your 10,000- to 20,000-word story for a chance to win CAD $1,750 and publication in our summer 2022 issue #219. Previous winning entries have also won the Journey Prize and a National Magazine Gold Award.
Read this month's newsletter here.
Contests
Novella Prize—Deadline Extended!
Need more time? We've extended the deadline to February 5 at 11:59pm PST.
Submit your 10,000- to 20,000-word story for a chance to win CAD $1,750 and publication in our summer 2022 issue #219. Previous winning entries have also won the Journey Prize and a National Magazine Gold Award.
Read the full contest guidelines.
News
Announcing the 2022 Open Season Awards Winners
Congratulations to Kaitlin Debicki (poetry; pictured), Sara Mang (fiction), and Bahar Orang (cnf)! Their winning pieces were chosen by Conor Kerr (poetry judge), Zilla Jones (fiction judge), and Erin Soros (cnf judge) who had great things to say about the winners' work.
All three winners will receive a $2,000 CAD prize as well as publication in our spring issue #218.
Read more about the winners and what the judges had to say.
News
Shortlists for 2022 Open Season Awards
We're pleased to announce the shortlists for our Open Season Awards!
The three winners, as chosen by contest judges Conor Kerr (poetry), Zilla Jones (fiction), and Erin Soros (cnf) will be announced by January 19 on our website and social media pages. Who will win the three $2,000 CAD prizes and publication?
E-Newsletter
Malahat lite: January 2022 Edition
Read interviews with Novella Prize judge Alix Hawley and 2021 Constance Rooke Creative Nonfiction Prize winner Justina Elias (pictured).
Our biennial Novella Prize contest is back. Submit your 10,000- to 20,000-word story for a chance to win CAD $1,750 and publication in our summer 2022 issue #219. Previous winning entries have also won the Journey Prize and a National Magazine Gold Award. Deadline: 11:59pm (PST) on February 1, 2022.
Read this month's newsletter here.
E-Newsletter
Malahat lite: December 2021 Edition
Read an interview with Novella Prize judge Rebecca Păpucaru and special interview with past Assistant Editor Rhonda Batchelor (pictured) on her new poetry book, Allow Me.
Our biennial Novella Prize contest is back. Submit your 10,000- to 20,000-word story for a chance to win CAD $1,750 and publication in our summer 2022 issue #219. Previous winning entries have also won the Journey Prize and a National Magazine Gold Award. Deadline: 11:59pm (PST) on February 1, 2022.
Read this month's newsletter here.
Contests
Novella Prize—Now Open!
Our biennial Novella Prize contest is back.
Submit your 10,000- to 20,000-word story for a chance to win CAD $1,750 and publication in our summer 2022 issue #219. Previous winning entries have also won the Journey Prize and a National Magazine Gold Award.
Deadline: 11:59pm (PST) on February 1, 2022
Submit before December 31, 2021 and receive an early bird discount on your entry fee(s)!
Read the full contest guidelines.
E-Newsletter
Malahat lite: November 2021 Edition
Read interviews with 2021 Far Horizons Award for Short Fiction winner Ben Lof and fall issue #216 poetry contributor Yuan Changming (pictured).
Deadline extended! Submit your poetry, short fiction, and/or creative nonfiction to our Open Season Awards by November 5, 2021 at 11:59pm PST for a chance to win one of three CAD $2,000 prizes and publication!
Read this month's newsletter here.
Contests
Deadline Extended: Open Season Awards
Last call for our Open Season Awards contest!
Submit your poetry, short fiction, and/or creative nonfiction by November 5 at 11:59pm PST for a chance to win one of three CAD $2,000 prizes and publication!
This year's judges are Conor Kerr (poetry), Zilla Jones (fiction), and Erin Soros (creative nonfiction). Read interviews with each of them to find out what they're looking for in a winning entry.
Read the full contest guidelines.
News
Announcing the 2021 Constance Rooke CNF Prize Winner
Congratulations to Justina Elias! Her winning piece, "To Do," was chosen by judge Emily Riddle, who had great things to say about it.
Elias will receive the $1,000 CAD prize as well as publication in our winter issue #217.
Read more about the winner and what the judge had to say.
E-Newsletter
Malahat lite: October 2021 Edition
Read interviews with Open Season Awards contest judge Erin Soros (creative nonfiction) and fall issue #216 cnf contributor Ava Fathi (pictured).
Submit your poetry, short fiction, and/or creative nonfiction to our Open Season Awards by November 1, 2021 at 11:59pm PST for a chance to win one of three CAD $2,000 prizes and publication!
Read this month's newsletter here.
News
Shortlist for 2021 Constance Rooke CNF Prize
We're pleased to announce the shortlist for our Constance Rooke Creative Nonfiction Prize!
The winner, as chosen by contest judge Emily Riddle, will be announced by October 12 on our website and social media pages. Who will win the $1,000 CAD prize and publication?
See who the contest finalists are!
E-Newsletter
Malahat lite: September 2021 Edition
Read interviews with Open Season Awards contest judges Conor Kerr (poetry) and Zilla Jones (fiction; pictured). *Look for an interview with creative nonfiction judge Erin Soros in our October newsletter!*
Submit your poetry, short fiction, and/or creative nonfiction to our Open Season Awards by November 1, 2021 at 11:59pm PST for a chance to win one of three CAD $2,000 prizes and publication! Plus, if you enter before September 30, you'll get an early bird discount—$15 off your initial entry fee!
Don't miss Paul Watkins' review of Jordan Abel's NISHGA, from our summer issue #215.
Read this month's newsletter here.
Contests
Open Season Awards—Now Open!
Submit your poetry, short fiction, and/or creative nonfiction by November 1 at 11:59pm PST for a chance to win one of three CAD $2,000 prizes and publication!
This year's judges are Conor Kerr (poetry), Zilla Jones (fiction), and Erin Soros (creative nonfiction). Look for interviews with them in our September newsletter.
Plus, if you enter before September 30, you'll get an early bird discount—$15 off your initial entry fee!
Read the full contest guidelines.
E-Newsletter
Malahat lite: August 2021 Edition
Read interviews with summer issue #215 contributors Carlee Bouillon (fiction) and Sean Sam (creative nonfiction; pictured).
Deadline extended to August 5 at 11:59pm PDT for our Constance Rooke CNF Prize! Submit your personal essays, memoirs, narrative nonfiction, social commentary, travel writing, historical accounts, biography, and more. One winner will take home the $1000 (CAD) prize.
Use the coupon code Summer21 for $20 off a one-year print subscription or a digital/print bundle. Perfect as a (socially-distant) gift to a friend, or simply as a treat for yourself! This offer is valid until August 31, 2021.
Read this month's newsletter here.
Contests
Deadline Extended: Constance Rooke Creative Nonfiction Prize
Need a little more time? This is your chance to submit your essay, memoir, narrative nonfiction, social commentary, travel writing, historical accounts, biography, and more (maximum 3,000 words) by August 5 at 11:59pm PDT. The winner takes home $1,000 CAD and the winning piece will be published in our winter issue!
This year's judge is Emily Riddle. Find out what she's looking for by reading a recent interview with her.
Read the full contest guidelines.
News
Announcing the 2021 Far Horizons Award for Short Fiction Winner
Congratulations to Ben Lof! His winning piece, "Naked States," was chosen by judge Francine Cunningham, who had great things to say about the short story.
Lof will receive the $1,000 CAD prize as well as publication in our fall issue #216.
Read more about the winner and what the judge had to say.
Subscribe
Soak up the sun with our Summer Sale!
Use the coupon code Summer21 for $20 off a one-year print subscription or a digital/print bundle. Perfect as a (socially-distant) gift to a friend, or simply as a treat for yourself!
This offer is valid until August 31, 2021.
Take advantage of the sale today for yourself or a friend.
News
Finalists Chosen for 2021 Far Horizons Award for Short Fiction
We're pleased to announce the shortlist for our Far Horizons Award for Short Fiction!
The winner, as chosen by contest judge Francine Cunningham, will be announced by July 15 on our website and social media pages. Who will win the $1,000 CAD prize and publication?
See who the contest finalists are!
E-Newsletter
Malahat lite: July 2021 Edition
Read interviews with 2021 Long Poem Prize winners Conor Kerr (pictured) and Jennifer Still. Look for their winning poems in our upcoming summer issue #215.
Less than 4 weeks until the deadline for our Constance Rooke CNF Prize! Submit your personal essays, memoirs, narrative nonfiction, social commentary, travel writing, historical accounts, biography, and more. Deadline is August 1, 2021 at 11:59pm PDT. One winner will take home the $1000 (CAD) prize.
Read this month's newsletter here.
E-Newsletter
Malahat lite: June 2021 Edition
Read interviews with Constance Rooke CNF Prize judge Emily Riddle (pictured) and spring issue #214 fiction contributor Andar Wärje.
Our Constance Rooke CNF Prize contest is now open! Submit your personal essays, memoirs, narrative nonfiction, social commentary, travel writing, historical accounts, biography, and more! Deadline is August 1, 2021 at 11:59pm PDT. One winner will take home the $1000 (CAD) prize.
Read all the details in this month's newsletter.
E-Newsletter
Malahat lite: May 2021 Edition
Read interviews with spring issue #214 poetry contributors Leslie Joy Ahenda (pictured) and Rhiannon Ng Cheng Hin.
Our Far Horizons Award for Short Fiction contest is specifically for writers who have yet to publish their fiction in book form. Submit your short story (maximum 3,500 words) by May 5 at 11:59pm PDT for a chance to win $1,000 CAD and publication! All entrants will also automatically be entered to win an amazing book prize.
Read all the details in this month's newsletter.
Contests
Constance Rooke Creative Nonfiction Prize—
Now Open!
Calling all creative nonfiction writers! Submit your essay, memoir, narrative nonfiction, social commentary, travel writing, historical accounts, biography, and more (maximum 3,000 words) by August 1 at 11:59pm PDT for a chance to win $1,000 CAD and publication!
This year's judge is Emily Riddle. Look for an interview with her in our June newsletter.
Read the full contest guidelines.
News
Announcing the 2021 Long Poem Prize Winners
Congratulations to Conor Kerr (pictured) and Jennifer Still!
Both poets will receive a $1250 CAD prize as well as publication in our summer issue #215. Contest judges Meredith Quartermain, Armand Garnet Ruffo, and John Elizabeth Stintzi had wonderful things to say about the winning poems!
Read more about the winners and their work.
E-Newsletter
Malahat lite: April 2021 Edition
Read interviews with Open Season Awards winners Matthew Hollet (poetry), Zilla Jones (fiction), and Tanis MacDonald (cnf; pictured).
Our Far Horizons Award for Short Fiction contest is specifically for writers who have yet to publish their fiction in book form. Submit your short story (maximum 3,500 words) by May 1 at 11:59pm PDT for a chance to win $1,000 CAD and publication! All entrants will also automatically be entered to win an amazing book prize.
Read all the details in this month's newsletter.
News
Finalists Chosen for 2021 Long Poem Prize
We're pleased to announce the shortlist for our Long Poem Prize!
The two winners, as chosen by contest judges Meredith Quartermain, Armand Garnet Ruffo, and John Elizabeth Stintzi will be announced by April 6 on our website and social media pages. Who will win the two $1,250 CAD prizes and publication?
See who the contest finalists are!
E-Newsletter
Malahat lite: March 2021 Edition
Read interviews with Far Horizons Award for Short Fiction contest judge Francine Cunningham and winter issue #213 poetry contributor Tawahum Bige (pictured).
Our Far Horizons Award for Short Fiction contest is specifically for writers who have yet to publish their fiction in book form. Submit your short story (maximum 3,500 words) by May 1 at 11:59pm PDT for a chance to win $1,000 CAD and publication! All entrants will also automatically be entered to win an amazing book prize.
Read all the details in this month's newsletter.
Contests
Far Horizons Award for Short Fiction—
Now Open!
This contest is specifically for writers who have yet to publish their fiction in book form. Submit your short story (maximum 3,500 words) by May 1 at 11:59pm PDT for a chance to win $1,000 CAD and publication!
This year's judge is Francine Cunningham. Look for an interview with her in our March newsletter.
Read the full contest guidelines.
E-Newsletter
Malahat lite: February 2021 Edition
Read interviews with winter issue #213 contributors Megan Butcher (creative nonfiction; pictured) and Rachel Lachmansingh (fiction).
Our Long Poem Prize contest deadline has been extended until February 5 at 11:59pm PST! Send us your single long poem or cycle of poems for a chance to win one of two $1,250 (CAD) prizes! All entrants will also automatically be entered to win an amazing book prize.
Read all the details in this month's newsletter.
Contests
Long Poem Prize Deadline EXTENDED!
Take the extra time to perfect your single poem or cycle of poems and submit by Friday, February 5 at 11:59pm PST.
Judges Meredith Quartermain, Armand Garnet Ruffo, and John Elizabeth Stintzi will choose two winners to receive $1,250 CAD each and publication in our summer issue.
Read the full contest guidelines.
News
Announcing the 2021 Open Season Winners
Congratulations to this year's contest winners!
Matthew Hollett (poetry)
Zilla Jones (fiction; pictured)
Tanis MacDonald (creative nonfiction)
The awards come with a $2,000 prize each as well as publication in our spring issue #214. Contest judges Rebecca Salazar, Philip Huynh, and Lishai Peel had wonderful things to say about the winning pieces!
Read more about the winners and their award-winning writing.
News
Finalists Chosen for 2021 Open Season Awards
We're pleased to announce the shortlists for our Open Season Awards!
The three winners, as chosen by contest judges Philip Huynh (fiction), Lishai Peel (cnf), and Rebecca Salazar (poetry) will be announced by January 19 on our website and social media pages. Who will win the three $2,000 CAD prizes and publication?
See who the contest finalists are!
E-Newsletter
Malahat lite: January 2021 Edition
Read interviews with Long Poem Prize judge Armand Garnet Ruffo (pictured) and 2020's Constance Rooke CNF Prize winner Christina Brobby.
Our Long Poem Prize contest deadline is only four weeks away! Send us your single long poem or cycle of poems by February 1 for a chance to win one of two $1,250 (CAD) prizes and publication. All entrants are also automatically entered to win an amazing book prize!
Treat yourself to a discounted subscription! Use the coupon code Holiday for $20 off a one-year print subscription or a digital/print bundle. *This offer is valid until January 31, 2021.
Read all the details in this month's newsletter.
E-Newsletter
Malahat lite: December 2020 Edition
Read interviews with Long Poem Prize judges Meredith Quartermain and John Elizabeth Stintzi (pictured).
Our Long Poem Prize contest deadline is February 1, 2021! Send us your single long poem or cycle of poems for a chance to win one of two $1,250 (CAD) prizes and publication. All entrants are also automatically entered to win an amazing book prize!
Give the gift of a subscription this year. Use code "Holiday" at checkout for $20 off a one-year print subscription or one-year digital/print bundle. Perfect as a (socially distant) gift for a friend, family member, or yourself! *This offer ends January 31, 2021.
Read all the details in this month's newsletter.
Subscribe
Give the Gift of a Subscription
Use the coupon code Holiday for $20 off a one-year print subscription or a digital/print bundle. Perfect as a (socially-distant) gift to a friend, or simply as a treat for yourself!
This offer is valid until January 31, 2021.
Take advantage of the sale today for yourself or a friend.
Contests
Long Poem Prize Now Open!
Our biennial Long Poem Prize is back! With a deadline of February 1, 2021 at 11:59pm PST, and two prizes of $1,250 CAD each, there's no better incentive to start writing now.
Each entry can be a single long poem or a cycle of poems. This year's judges: Meredith Quartermain, Armand Garnet Ruffo, and John Elizabeth Stintzi. All entrants are also automatically entered to win a book prize.
Read more about the judges and check out the full contest guidelines.
E-Newsletter
Malahat lite: November 2020 Edition
Read interviews with fall issue #212 contributors Francine Cunningham (fiction; pictured) and Shane Rhodes (poetry).
Our Open Season Awards contest deadline has been extended to November 8, 2020 at 11:59pm (PST)! Send us your fiction, poetry, and/or creative nonfiction for a chance to win one of three $2,000 (CAD) prizes and publication. All entrants are also automatically entered to win one of three fantastic book prizes!
Read all the details in this month's newsletter.
Contests
Open Season Awards Deadline Extended!
Good news—our Open Season Awards contest deadline has been extended to November 8 at 11:59pm PST!
Take the extra time to polish your poetry, fiction, and/or creative nonfiction before submitting. Three $2,000 CAD prizes are at stake! All entrants are also automatically entered to win book prizes.
This year's judges: Philip Huynh (fiction), Lishai Peel (cnf), and Rebecca Salazar (poetry).
Read more about the judges and check out the full contest guidelines.
News
Winner Chosen for 2020 CNF Prize
Congratulations to this year's contest winner, Christina Brobby, for her piece, "On Playing Double Jeopardy!"
The award comes with a $1,000 prize as well as publication in our winter issue #213. Contest judge Rowan McCandless had great things to say about the winning piece!
Check out the full announcement page.
News
Finalists Chosen for 2020 CNF Prize
We're pleased to announce the shortlist for our Constance Rooke CNF Prize!
The winner, as chosen by contest judge Rowan McCandless, will be announced by October 16 on our website and social media pages. Who will win the $1,000 CAD grand prize and publication?
See who the contest finalists are!
E-Newsletter
Malahat lite: October 2020 Edition
Read interviews with Open Season Awards judge Rebecca Salazar (poetry; pictured), Far Horizons Award for Poetry 2020 winner A.R. Kung, and upcoming fall issue #212 creative nonfiction contributor Kathy Mak.
We're looking for two full-time University of Victoria students to join our team for the academic year! Check out our Opportunities page to read more about the two work study positions.
Also included is a book review by Rhonda Batchelor from our current summer issue #211—Here I Am! written by Pauline Holdstock.
Our Open Season Awards contest deadline is November 1, 2020 at 11:59pm (PST)! Send us your fiction, poetry, and/or creative nonfiction for a chance to win one of three $2,000 (CAD) prizes!
Read all the details in this month's newsletter.
Opportunities
Work Study Positions Open for UVic Students
*EDIT Oct. 19, 2020: These positions have now been filled. Thank you!
We have two Work Study positions open for full-time University of Victoria students who qualify. The positions would be for 120 cumulative hours from October 2020 to April 2021. See How to apply for the work study program on UVic's website. If you're approved, click on the positions below to read more about what the jobs entail.
- Position 1 - Editorial Assistant
- Position 2 - Editorial Assistant (Social Media)
To apply, please send your cover letter and resume to malahat[at]uvic.ca attention: L'Amour Lisik, Managing Editor.
E-Newsletter
Malahat lite: September 2020 Edition
Read interviews with Open Season Awards judges Philip Huynh (fiction) and Lishai Peel (creative nonfiction, pictured) to find out what they'll be looking for in a winning entry.
Also included is a book review by waaseyaa'sin Christine Sy from our current summer issue #211—Injichaag: My Soul in Story, Anishinaabe Poetics in Art and Words written by Rene Meshake with Kim Anderson.
Our Open Season Awards contest deadline is November 1, 2020 at 11:59pm (PST)! Send us your fiction, poetry, and/or creative nonfiction for a chance to win one of three $2,000 (CAD) prizes!
Read all the details in this month's newsletter.
Contests
Open Season Awards Now Accepting Entries!
Send us your poetry, fiction, and/or creative nonfiction by November 1, 2020 at 11:59pm PST! Three winners (one per genre) will take home $2,000 (CAD) each.
The judges are Philip Huynh (fiction), Lishai Peel (creative nonfiction), and Rebecca Salazar (poetry). Check out September's Malahat lite e-newsletter to find out what Philip and Lishai will be looking for, and keep an eye out for October's e-newsletter to learn what Rebecca's interested in finding in a winning poem.
Entry fee is $35 for Canadians ($40 US, $45 international) and comes with a complimentary one-year subscription to The Malahat Review. Additional submissions cost just $10.
Click here for submission details.
E-Newsletter
Malahat lite: August 2020 Edition
Read interviews with issue #211 contributors Xaiver Campbell (fiction; pictured) and Daniel Allen Cox (creative nonfiction).
Don't miss our summer sale, on now until August 31! $20 off print subscriptions and digital/print bundles with coupon code Summer.
Also included in the newsletter is a summer issue #211 book review by Délani Valin on Michelle Porter's Inquiries.
Read all the details in this month's newsletter.
Contests
CNF Prize Deadline Extended!
We've extended the deadline for our Creative Nonfiction Prize contest to August 5, 2020 at 11:59 pm PDT!
One winner will take home the $1000 (CAD) prize.
This year's judge is Rowan McCandless. (She won our 2018 contest with her piece, "Found Objects," which went on to receive an honourable mention at 2020's National Magazine Awards!) Read an interview with her to find out what she's looking for in a winning entry.
Click here for submission details.
News
Winner Chosen for 2020 FH Award for Poetry
Congratulations to this year's contest winner, A.R. Kung, for his poem "Flight."
The award comes with a $1,000 prize as well as publication in our fall issue #212. Contest judge Yusuf Saadi had great things to say about the winning poem!
Check out the full announcement page.
News
Finalists Chosen for 2020 FH Award for Poetry
We're pleased to announce the shortlist for our Far Horizons Award for Poetry!
The winner, as chosen by contest judge Yusuf Saadi, will be announced by July 17 on our website and social media pages. Who will win the $1,000 CAD grand prize and publication?
See who the contest finalists are!
E-Newsletter
Malahat lite: July 2020 Edition
Read interviews with issue #211 poetry contributor Daniel Sarah Karasik (pictured) and 2020 Novella Prize winner Rebecca Păpucaru.
Only 3 weeks until our Constance Rooke CNF Prize deadline! Send us your personal essays, memoirs, narrative nonfiction, social commentary, travel writing, historical accounts, biography, and more! Deadline is August 1, 2020 at 11:59pm PDT. One winner will take home the $1000 (CAD) prize.
Read all the details in this month's newsletter.
Subscribe
Summer Subscription Sale Is Back!
Use the coupon code Summer for $20 off a one-year print subscription or a digital/print bundle. Perfect as a (socially-distant) birthday gift to a friend, or simply as a treat for yourself!
This offer is valid until August 31, 2020.
Take advantage of the sale today for yourself or a friend.
E-Newsletter
Malahat lite: June 2020 Edition
Read interviews with Constance Rooke CNF Prize judge Rowan McCandless (pictured) and issue #210 poetry contributor Manahil Bandukwala.
Our Constance Rooke CNF Prize contest is now open! Send us your personal essays, memoirs, narrative nonfiction, social commentary, travel writing, historical accounts, biography, and more! Deadline is August 1, 2020 at 11:59pm PDT. One winner will take home the $1000 (CAD) prize.
Read all the details in this month's newsletter.
Contests
Constance Rooke CNF Prize Contest Now Open!
Send us your personal essays, memoirs, narrative nonfiction, social commentary, travel writing, historical accounts, biography, and more by August 1, 2020 at 11:59pm PDT! One winner will take home the $1000 (CAD) prize.
The 2020 judge is Rowan McCandless. Read an interview with her to find out what she's looking for in a winning entry.
Entry fee is $35 for Canadians ($40 US, $45 international) and comes with a complimentary one-year subscription to The Malahat Review. Additional submissions cost $15.
Click here for submission details.
E-Newsletter
Malahat lite: May 2020 Edition
Read interviews with issue #210 contributors Stephanie Harrington (creative nonfiction) and Emi Kodama (fiction; pictured reading in the background).
The deadline for emerging poets to submit their work to our Far Horizons Award for Poetry has been extended to May 8 at 11:59pm PDT! In addition to the $1,000 CAD prize, we're giving away a book prize to one lucky entrant. All you have to do is submit your work to the contest and you'll be automatically entered to win four beautiful books of poetry.
Read all the details in this month's newsletter.
News
Winner Chosen for 2020 Novella Prize
Congratulations to this year's contest winner, Rebecca Păpucaru, for her story "Yentas."
The award comes with a $1,750 prize as well as publication in our summer issue #211. The contest judges had great things to say about the winning novella!
Check out the full announcement page.
News
Finalists Chosen for 2020 Novella Prize
We are pleased to announce the shortlist for our Novella Prize contest!
The winner, as chosen by contest judges Samantha Macpherson and Naben Ruthnum, will be announced by April 6 on our website and social media pages. Who will win the $1,750 grand prize and publication?
See who the contest finalists are!
E-Newsletter
Malahat lite: April 2020 Edition
Read interviews with 2020 Open Season Award winners Joshua Whitehead (creative nonfiction; pictured), Patrick Grace (poetry), and Ajith Thangavelautham (fiction). Their work is set to appear in our upcoming issue #210.
The deadline for emerging poets to submit their work to our Far Horizons Award for Poetry is May 1! In addition to the $1,000 CAD prize, we're giving away a book prize to one lucky entrant. All you have to do is submit your work to the contest and you'll be automatically entered to win four beautiful books of poetry.
Read all the details in this month's newsletter.
E-Newsletter
Malahat lite: March 2020 Edition
Our Far Horizons Award for Poetry contest is now open! Submit your best for a chance to win $1000 (CAD). Entry fee is reduced to a special price! This contest is specifically for emerging poets—eligible writers have yet to publish their poetry in book form.
Read interviews with issue #209 contributors Julia Brush (poetry) and Dawn Lo (creative nonfiction), as well as Far Horizons Award for Poetry judge Yusuf Saadi (upcoming debut poetry book, "Pluviophile," pictured).
Read all the details in this month's newsletter.
Contests
Far Horizons Award for Poetry Contest Open
Our biennial poetry contest for emerging writers is back! Eligible authors have yet to publish their poetry in book form. Submit your poem(s) by May 1, 2020, and you could win the $1,000 prize! All entrants will also automatically be entered to win a book prize.
The 2020 judge is Yusuf Saadi (2016's Far Horizons Award for Poetry winner). Look for an interview with Yusuf in our upcoming March Malahat lite e-newsletter.
Entry fee is reduced to $25 for Canadians ($30 US, $35 international) and comes with a complimentary one-year subscription to The Malahat Review. Additional submissions cost $15.
Click here for submission details.
E-Newsletter
Malahat lite: February 2020 Edition
Read interviews with Issue #209 contributors Kulbir Saran (poetry; pictured) and Sehrish Ranjha (fiction).
Catch up on the latest books in the Canadian literary scene by visiting our New & Noteworthy page. Review space may be limited in our quarterly magazine, but we're delighted to share this list of new books received. Be sure to check back frequently, since we will add titles as they arrive!
Read all the details in this month's newsletter.
Contests
Novella Prize Contest Deadline Extended
Take the extra time to make your 10,000- to 20,000-word story shine. Submit for a chance to win the $1,750 prize! All entrants will also automatically be entered to win a superb book prize of three novels and a short story anthology.
The 2020 judges are Samantha Jade Macpherson and Naben Ruthnum. Read interviews with them in our December Malahat lite e-newsletter!
Entry fee is $35 for Canadians ($40 US, $45 international) and comes with a complimentary one-year subscription to The Malahat Review. Additional submissions cost $15.
Click here for submission details.
News
Winners Chosen for 2020 Open Season Awards
Congratulations to this year's contest winners!
Joshua Whitehead (creative nonfiction; pictured)
Ajith Thangavelautham (fiction)
Patrick Grace (poetry)
The award comes with a $2,000 prize to each writer as well as publication in our spring issue #210. Contest judges had great things to say about the winning submissions!
Check out the full announcement page for the 2020 Open Season Award winners.
News
Finalists Chosen for 2020 Open Season Awards
We are pleased to announce the shortlists for The Malahat Review's Open Season Awards!
The winners, as chosen by contest judges A. Light Zachary (poetry), Francesca Ekwuyasi (fiction), and Tess Liem (creative nonfiction), will be announced by January 29 on our website and social media pages. Who will win the three $2,000 grand prizes and publication?
See who the contest finalists are!
Contests
Novella Prize Contest Increased Prize Money
We've increased the prize money from $1500 to $1750! Submit your 10,000- to 20,000-word story by February 1 for a chance to win. Previous winning entries have also won the Journey Prize and a National Magazine Gold Award.
The 2020 judges are Samantha Jade Macpherson and Naben Ruthnum. Read interviews with them in our December Malahat lite e-newsletter!
Entry fee is $35 for Canadians ($40 US, $45 international) and comes with a complimentary one-year subscription to The Malahat Review. Additional submissions cost $15. Each entrant will also automatically be entered to win a book prize.
Click here for submission details.
E-Newsletter
Malahat lite: January 2020 Edition
Three weeks left 'til our Novella Prize contest deadline! Submit your 10,000- to 20,000-word story for a chance to win $1750. Previous winning entries have also won the Journey Prize and a National Magazine Gold Award.
Last chance to give the gift of a subscription! Our Holiday Subscription Sale is on—only $15 for a one-year print subscription. Hurry, this offer expires January 31, 2020.
Read interviews with 2019 Constance Rooke CNF Prize winner Jeanette Lynes as well as Issue #209 contributors Angélique Lalonde (pictured) and Suphil Lee Park.
Read all the details in this month's newsletter.
Subscribe
Holiday Subscription Sale Is Back!
For the readers on your list, why not buy the gift that keeps on giving four times per year?
Order a one-year subscription for a friend, loved one, or yourself for only $15, and you'll get a year's worth of Malahat Review issues. Don't miss out on this great deal!
Buy a discounted subscription today for yourself or a friend.
E-Newsletter
Malahat lite: December 2019 Edition
Our Novella Prize contest is now open! Submit your 10,000- to 20,000-word story for a chance to win $1500. Previous winning entries have also won the Journey Prize and a National Magazine Gold Award.
Why not give the gift of a subscription? Our Holiday Subscription Sale is on—just $15 for a one-year print subscription.
Read interviews with Novella Prize judges Samantha Jade Macpherson and Naben Ruthnum (pictured) to find out what they're looking for in a winning submission.
Read all the details in this month's newsletter.
Contests
Novella Prize Contest NOW OPEN
Submit your 10,000- to 20,000-word story for a chance to win $1500. Previous winning entries have also won the Journey Prize and a National Magazine Gold Award.
The 2020 judges are Samantha Jade Macpherson and Naben Ruthnum. Read interviews with them in our December Malahat lite e-newsletter!
Entry fee is $35 for Canadians ($40 US, $45 international) and comes with a complimentary one-year subscription to The Malahat Review. Additional submissions cost $15. Each entrant will also automatically be entered to win a book prize.
Click here for submission details.
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #195, Summer 2016
Binaries, real and perceived, pervade this summer issue of The Malahat Review. The works inside take pain and pleasure in equal measure, deconstructing the tired conventions of man/woman, self/other, and desire/duty, among others. The stunning chiaroscuro of thecover image, Nina Robinson’s Self as Self, in which a column of light illuminates the forehead, nose, mouth, and chest of a figure emerging from the dark, signals the coming contrasts.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Chris Horne).
E-Newsletter
Malahat lite: November 2019 Edition
Our general submissions are open year 'round! Submit your fiction, poetry, and/or creative nonfiction work for free (once per genre, per calendar year). If your writing is accepted for print, you'll be paid $65 CAD per published page.
Read interviews with Issue #208 contributors Yilin Wang (fiction), Anuja Varghese (creative nonfiction), and Jun-long Lee (poetry; pictured).
Read all the details in this month's newsletter.
Contests
Open Season Awards Book Prizes
Only 11 days left to submit to our Open Season Awards contest!
In addition to the three $2,000 prizes, we're giving away book prizes to three lucky contest entrants! All you have to do is submit your work to the contest, and you'll be automatically entered to win. After the deadline, we'll pull three names from the list of entrants.
We have a phenomenal poetry book prize (pictured), as well as fiction and creative nonfiction book prizes.
Click here for submission details.
News
Winner Chosen for 2019 CNF Prize Contest
Congratulations to Jeanette Lynes, whose essay, "Bat Reign," has won The Malahat Review's 2019 Constance Rooke CNF Prize contest! She wins the $1,000 grand prize and publication in our upcoming Issue #209.
Judge Yasuko Thanh said, "The poetic connection between bats and divorce is brought to swooping life. Inventive, creative, playful. The writer uses bats as a negative metaphor to talk about the dark reign of destruction wreaked by a failed marriage."
Read more about the winning story!
News
Finalists Chosen for 2019 CNF Prize Contest
We are pleased to announce the shortlist for The Malahat Review's Constance Rooke Creative Nonfiction Prize contest!
The winner, as chosen by contest judge Yasuko Thanh, will be announced by October 16 on our website and social media pages. Who will win the $1,000 grand prize and publication?
See who the contest finalists are!
E-Newsletter
Malahat lite: October 2019 Edition
Our Open Season Awards contest is now accepting entries! Submit your poetry, fiction, and/or creative nonfiction for a chance to win one of three $2,000 prizes.
Read interviews with Issue #208 contributors Ashley Hynd (poetry; pictured) and D.A. Lockhart (creative nonfiction), as well as Far Horizons Award for Short Fiction 2019 contest winner Jason Jobin.
Read all the details in this month's newsletter.
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #194, Spring 2016
In many ways, the editorial board at Malahat poetry meetings is straightforward—we’re looking for the best poems we can find. That said, we feel pleased with ourselves when we find a great poem by a new poet we haven’t heard from before, or when there is a longer poem that deserves space, or when a poet sends a selection of poems and they are so good that we take them all. As it happens in this issue, several poets who are pillars of the CanLit establishment sent us a plenitude of good work. Four of Steven Heighton’s poems are here, including “The Waking Comes Late,” which would become the eponymous poem of his 2016 collection.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Jay Ruzesky).
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #193, Winter 2015
S’Klallam artist Jeffrey Veregge’s Nothing Can Hold Us, a three-toned Salish formline design incorporating the Seattle Seahawks’ icon, soars across the cover of Malahat 193, “Elusive Boundaries: Mapping Creative Nonfiction in Canada.” Gathered under the variegated plumage of this issue’s creative nonfiction theme are seventeen pieces that plumb personal and cultural depths with integrity.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Chris Horne).
News
Malahat Review Work Study Position Available
Are you a University of Victoria student interested in the literary scene, and looking to make extra cash this school year? If you've ever wanted to see what it's like working for a Canadian lit mag, now's your chance!
We're currently on the hunt for a Marketing and Promotions Assistant. The successful candidate will have a broad knowledge of current social media tools and will be conversant with Windows-based Word, Excel and WordPress. Outreach skills, including proper email and social-media etiquette, are an asset. An undergraduate or graduate UVic Writing or UVic Humanities / UVic English student is preferred.
Apply to work at The Malahat Review today!
News
Kai Conradi Shortlisted for 2019 Journey Prize
The Malahat Review is pleased to congratulate Kai Conradi, whose piece, "Every True Artist," is one of three finalists for the 2019 Writers' Trust McClelland & Stewart Journey Prize!
Conradi's story was originally published in the 2018 Autumn Issue #204.
The winner will be announced Novemeber 5.
Read more about the three finalists.
E-Newsletter
Malahat lite: September 2019 Edition
Our Open Season Awards contest is now accepting entries! Submit your poetry, fiction, and/or creative nonfiction for a chance to win one of three $2,000 prizes.
Read interviews with Open Season Awards contest judges A. Light Zachary (poetry), Francesca Ekwuyasi (fiction), and Tess Liem (creative nonfiction; pictured).
Congratulations to Kai Conradi, who has been named a finalist for the 2019 Journey Prize for his story, "Every True Artist," which first appeared in our Issue #204.
Last chance for our Submmer Subscription Sale —only $15 for a one-year print subscription! Hurry—this deal ends September 23.
Read all the details in this month's newsletter.
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #192, Autumn 2015
Mark Rogers won the Far Horizons Award for Short Fiction and his story “Heaven and Back Again, or The Goddit” opens this issue. It’s a story that explores parental fear through a father’s consciousness, and there is a fabulous energy that compels readers through the piece.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Jay Ruzesky).
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #191, Summer 2015
Home to 2015’s Long Poem Prize winners Genevieve Lehr and Gary Geddes, Malahat 191 is packed with stunning imagery and powerful narratives. Perhaps most pervasive through the issue is how individuals cope with feelings of helplessness.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Kyra Kristmanson ).
Contests
Open Season Awards Contest NOW OPEN
Submit your poetry, fiction, and/or creative nonfiction to our Open Season Awards contest for a chance to win one of three $2,000 prizes!
The 2019 judges are A. Light Zachary (poetry), Francesca Ekwuyasi (fiction), and Tess Liem (cnf). Read interviews with them in our September Malahat lite e-newsletter!
Entry fee is $35 for Canadians ($40 US, $45 international) and comes with a complimentary one-year subscription to The Malahat Review. Additional submissions cost $10, no limit. Each entrant will also automatically be entered to win a book prize.
Click here for submission details.
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #190, Spring 2015
Issue 190 kicks off with Michael Carson’s “The Neanderthal and the Cave,” the creative nonfiction winner in the 2015 Open Season Awards. In this short riposte to an article by Robert McCrum, which maintains that successful writing careers are only achievable for those under forty, Carson combats a common writer’s affliction: self-doubt paired with the unstoppable flow of time. Carson happens to have been my 12th-grade English teacher, so I’ll admit to a little bias, while also noting that coincidence and probability are (funnily enough) exactly what this piece grapples with.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Kyra Kristmanson ).
E-Newsletter
Malahat lite: August 2019 Edition
Our Open Season Awards contest is now accepting entries! Submit your poetry, fiction, and/or creative nonfiction for a chance to win one of three $2,000 prizes.
Read interviews with Issue #207 contributors Mandy Gutmann-Gonzalez (poetry; pictured) and Liz Harmer (fiction).
Don't miss our Submmer Subscription Sale —only $15 for a one-year print subscription!
Read all the details in this month's newsletter.
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #189, Winter 2014
This somber winter issue revolves around themes of sacrifice and loss, featuring twenty-five works of prose and poetry that depict personal burdens and communal bonds in taut opposition. The cover’s muted image of Frank Pimentel’s Bread on Plate fittingly captures Malahat 189’s complex layers of significance; the photograph evokes symbols of family, the home, and comfort but casts them under harsh light.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Chris Horne).
News
Winner Chosen for 2019 Far Horizons Award
Congratulations to Jason Jobin, whose story, "Triage," has won The Malahat Review's Far Horizons Award for Short Fiction contest! He wins the $1,000 grand prize and publication in our upcoming Issue #208.
Judge Mehdi M. Kashani said, "The revelation at the end (and the shocking way it's communicated) acted as a tie-breaker, for me, to select this story over the other excellent candidates."
Read more about the winning story!
E-Newsletter
Malahat lite: July 2019 Edition
Submit your best truths to our Constance Rooke Creative Nonfiction Prize contest by August 1 for a chance to win $1000, publication, and to be entered in a draw for a stellar book prize!
Read interviews with Constance Rooke CNF Prize judge Yasuko Thanh, as well as Issue #206 contributor Armand Garnet Ruffo (pictured) and Issue #207 contributors Sasha Penn & Joanne Rixon.
Congratulations to Christine Higdon for her National Magazine Award Silver Win for her piece, "A Prayer for Ursula in Open D," which appeared in the Queer Perspectives Issue #205.
Don't miss our Submmer Subscription Sale —only $15 for a one-year print subscription!
Read all the details in this month's newsletter.
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #188, Fall 2014
Number 188 is a special issue subtitled “At Home in Translation: Canadians Translate the World.” In his introduction, editor John Barton points us to an “other” Canadian Literature “deserving of our praise: the work of Canadian translators” who bring writers publishing in Korean or Danish or Arabic, regardless of their nationality, to an English speaking audience.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Jay Ruzesky).
News
Finalists Chosen for 2019 Far Horizons Award
We are pleased to announce the shortlist for The Malahat Review's Far Horizons Award for Fiction contest!
The winner, as chosen by contest judge Mehdi M. Kashani, will be announced by July 10 on our website and social media pages. Who will win the $1,000 grand prize and publication?
See who the contest finalists are!
Subscribe
Summer Subscription Sale Is Back!
Looking for something to read on your summer travels or in your backyard? Treat your friends, family, or yourself to a one-year print subscription to The Malahat Review!
Subscribe to our magazine for only $15, and you'll get a year's worth of Malahat Review issues. Don't miss out on this great deal!
Buy a discounted subscription today for yourself or a friend.
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #187, Summer 2014
This issue begins with a healthy selection of poems by Jan Zwicky and ends with a healthy selection of poems by Douglas Burnet Smith. In both cases, readers get a chance to spend several pages with each poet and get a good sense of the attentions of their current work.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Jay Ruzesky).
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #186, April 2014
This issue features the 2014 Open Season Award Winners, with work by some vital writers in poetry, short fiction, and creative nonfiction, as well as works by established authors, each reminding us why we love literature that transports and transforms. Notably, the cover photo from Holly Pattison, House in Fairfield, Victoria, B.C., reflects the memory of Terence Young’s memoir, “Home Again.”
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Stephen Leckie).
E-Newsletter
Malahat lite: June 2019 Edition
Submit your best truths to our Constance Rooke Creative Nonfiction Prize contest by August 1 for a chance to win $1000, publication, and to be entered in a draw for a stellar book prize!
Read interviews with Issue #206 contributors Alycia Pirmohamed (pictured), Jane Akweley Odartey, and Conor Kerr to learn more about them, their writing, and what inspired their poems.
Add some more CanLit to your reading list with our New & Noteworthy page. Review space may be limited in our quarterly magazine, but we're delighted to share this list of new books from Canadian publishers received this year.
Read all the details in this month's newsletter.
News
Christine Higdon Wins Silver in the Fiction Category at 2019 National Magazine Awards
The Malahat Review is pleased to congratulate Christine Higdon, whose piece, "A Prayer for Ursula in Open D," won a Silver National Magazine Award in the Fiction category!
Higdon's story was originally published in the Queer Perspectives Issue #205.
Read a list of all the National Magazine Award winners for 2019.
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #185, December 2013
The theme of birth weaves its way through this issue, beginning with Anne Marie Todkill’s short story “The Maze at Traquair,” which chronicles the thoughts of a pregnant woman struggling to come to terms with her relationship and her future. The protagonist winds her way through the story as she does through the titular maze observing her surroundings and her own thoughts. “From these observations a private city emerges for her contemplation,” writes Todkill. The entire narrative invites the reader to observe and take part in intense contemplation as we are given small hints at the deeper meanings behind the characters’ actions.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Rose Morris).
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #183, July 2013
The transformative power of memory and the aesthetic artifact pervades this summer issue; fronted by five found photographs depicting wild waterfront scenes in black and white, issue 183 offers readers an escape to an otherworldly past. These images, portals to the Ontario cottage country of Stephen Marche’s dystopic short story, “How the Children Stayed Beautiful in a Time of Many Catastrophes,” reflect the issue’s thematic insistence on striking a balance between mundane objects of perception and the near-sacred emotional significance they accrue with time.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Chris Horne).
News
Nomination at National Magazine Awards
The Malahat Review has received a nomination for 2019's National Magazine Awards!
Christine Higdon is on this year's nominations list.
The winners from all nominated magazines and categories will be announced on May 31, 2019 at a special gala in Toronto!
E-Newsletter
Malahat lite: May 2019 Edition
Our Constance Rooke Creative Nonfiction Prize contest is now open! Enter by August 1 for a chance to win $1000, publication, and to be entered in a draw for a stellar book prize.
Read what Long Poem Prize winners John Elizabeth Stintzi and Erin Soros have to say about their winning long poems in their interviews. Don't miss an interview with Spring Issue #206 CNF contributor Nozomi Imanishi on her memoir, "Remains."
Add some more CanLit to your reading list with our New & Noteworthy page. Review space may be limited in our quarterly magazine, but we're delighted to share this list of new books from Canadian publishers received this year.
Read all the details in this month's newsletter.
Contests
Constance Rooke CNF Prize NOW OPEN
We're now accepting entries for our Constance Rooke Creative Nonfiction Prize contest! Submit your personal essays, memoirs, narrative nonfiction pieces, social commentaries, travel writing essays, historical accounts, and/or biographies and you could win the $1,000 prize!
The 2019 judge is Yasuko Thanh. Look for an interview with her in our upcoming July Malahat lite e-newsletter!
Entry fee is $35 for Canadians ($40 US, $45 international) and comes with a complimentary one-year subscription to The Malahat Review. Additional submissions cost $15, no limit.
Click here for submission details.
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #182, Spring 2013
The first thing that greets the reader when they pick up Issue 182 is the image of a calm bovine figure with long lashes kneeling on a snowy ground. The cover photo, taken by Joe Fafard (1942 – 2019), is a portrait of one of the cow sculptures in Fafard’s “The Pasture,” a public art piece at Toronto’s Dominion Centre. Delve inside the issue and you will find more on Fafard’s sculptures in two poems by Maureen Scott Harris titled “Joe Fafard’s Cows: ‘The Pasture’” and “Joe Fafard’s Cows: Elinor, Valadon, Potter.’”
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Rose Morris).
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #181, Winter 2012
This issue is dedicated to the memory of Daryl Hine (1936-2012). Originally from British Columbia, Hine moved to Illinois where, for ten years, he was the editor of Poetry (Chicago), the venerable poetry magazine founded in 1912. In its early days it published many literary greats such as ee cummings, Gertrude Stein, Elizabeth Bishop, Wallace Stevens, and for the first time, Eliot’s, “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.” In his own poetry, Hine embraced traditional poetic forms—five of which are included in this issue.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Lucy Bashford).
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #179, Summer 2012
Paul Watson’s cover photograph of a young girl peering through a line of uniformed soldiers captures the tranquil intensity of this issue. Beyond this snapshot lies diverse, intimate, and vulnerable impressions of community and identity—and the places where the two forces naturally intersect.
This issue spotlights 2012 Novella Prize winner “Cinema Rex” by Naben Ruthnum (sometimes published under the pseudonym Nathan Ripley), which also went on to win the Journey Prize, presented by McClelland & Stewart and the Writers' Trust of Canada.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Safiya Hopfe).
News
Announcing the 2019 Long Poem Prize Winners
The Malahat Review would like to congratulate Erin Soros for her poem "Weight," and John Elizabeth Stintzi (pictured) for their poem "Cold Dying Black Wet Cold Early Thing."
Each poet will receive $1000 in prize money as well as publication in our Summer 2019 issue. Contest judges Jordan Abel, Sonnet L'Abbé, and Gillian Sze had great things to say about the winning submissions!
See the full announcement page for the Long Poem Prize winners.
E-Newsletter
Malahat lite: April 2019 Edition
Only four weeks left to submit to our Far Horizons Award for Short Fiction contest! Enter by May 1 for a chance to win $1000 and to be entered in a draw for a stellar book prize.
Read what Founders' Awards winners Helen Guri (poetry), Neal Debreceni (creative nonfiction), and Samantha Jade Macpherson (fiction; pictured) had to say about their winning pieces in their interviews.
Add some more CanLit to your reading list with our New & Noteworthy page. Review space may be limited in our quarterly magazine, but we're delighted to share this list of new books from Canadian publishers received this year.
Read all the details in this month's newsletter.
News
Finalists Chosen for 2019 Long Poem Prize!
We are pleased to announce the finalists for the 2019 Long Poem Prize!
Thanks to all supporters and entrants for making this possible. The winners, as chosen by contest judges Jordan Abel, Sonnet L'Abbé, and Gillian Sze, will be announced on April 3.
See the list of the Long Poem Prize contest finalists here!
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #178, Spring 2012
In addition to the usual crop of excellent poetry, Issue 178 features the winning entries of The Malahat Review’s third-annual Open Season Awards. Albertan author and professor J. Mark Smith’s “Landscape with petroleum plant and sewage treatment facility,” (Poetry) paints an almost post-apocalyptic landscape of Edmonton, with a fusion of political tropes into notions of the everyday. Exploding with a powerful mix of wilderness and ideological imagery, Smith’s poem reads like an art piece, the poem’s title aptly reminiscent of how one might title a painting. While Smith’s work radiates tension, the winning entry of the Fiction category, “Apiculture,” stands out for its sense of innocence and clarity.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Kelsie Tan).
E-Newsletter
Malahat lite: March 2019 Edition
Please join us for Queer Perspectives: A Celebration on Saturday, Mar. 23 from 3:00-5:00 p.m. at the University of Victoria. Featuring readings and a conversation with Queer Perspectives contributors and guest editors. All welcome—admission is free or by donation.
Submit to our Far Horizons Award for Short Fiction contest by May 1 for a chance to win $1000 and to be entered in a draw for a stellar book prize! Check out an interview with judge Mehdi M. Kashani in this month's newsletter to find out what he's looking for in a winning short story.
Read what Open Season Awards winners Rami Schandall (poetry), Janika Oza (fiction), and Lishai Peel (creative nonfiction; pictured) had to say about their winning pieces in their interviews.
Read all the details in this month's newsletter.
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #176, September 2011
With Arbutus Shedding Bark by W.P. Weston (1879-1967) on its cover, this Autumn issue fittingly evokes and sustains a sense of metamorphosis. Featuring twenty-seven poems, four short stories, and a solitary creative nonfiction piece, the issue flows effortlessly through a myriad of colourful forms, juxtaposing its pieces to manifest a continuous anticipation of change. A tone of uncertainty—sometimes eerie, sometimes hopeful—bleeds throughout.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Chris Horne).
Events
Queer Perspectives: A Celebration
Please join us for readings and a conversation celebrating the publication of The Malahat Review's Issue #205 (Winter 2018), Queer Perspectives, which features contemporary writing by LGBTQ2S?+ writers in Canada chosen by guest editors Ali Blythe, Trevor Corkum, and Betsy Warland.
Come and hear Adèle Barclay, John Barton, Ali Blythe, Anne Fleming, Arleen Paré, Miranda Pearson, Anaheed Saatchi, and Betsy Warland.
3:00 - 5:00 p.m., Saturday 23 March 2019
University of Victoria (Human and Social Development Building Room A240)
All welcome—admission is free or by donation
Read more about Queer Perspectives: A Celebration here.
News
Statement from Helen Guri,
P. K. Page Founders' Award Winner for 2019,
on Legacies of Exclusion
Helen Guri, winner of the 2019 P. K. Page Founders' Award for poetry, has written a statement regarding the award's past winners and judges, calling attention to legacies of exclusion. Please take the time to read their statement.
Read Helen Guri's full statement.
Issues
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Issue #175, Summer 2011
Although this is a summer edition of Malahat, the magazine has a misty sense of rain, of wetness. Beginning with Stella Langdale’s bluely impressionist cover painting The Lost City of Atlantis, water seeps through many of the pieces; when one opens to a random page, it is likely that the word rain appears, or water, or ocean.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Quinn Stacey ).
News
Founders' Award Winners for 2019 Announced
The Founders’ Awards acknowledge the longstanding excellence of The Malahat Review’s contributors. Given out annually for the best work of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction to have been published in the magazine in the previous year, the Founders’ Awards each honour a Victoria-based writer—Jack Hodgins, Charles Lillard, and P. K. Page—who has made, or continues to make, significant contributions in the genre or genres for which they are known locally, nationally, and internationally. The award comes with a $1,000 cash prize.
In poetry: Helen Guri for their poem, "Speech"
In fiction: Samantha Jade Macpherson for her novella, "Tattoo"
In creative nonfiction: Neal Debreceni (pictured) for his essay, "Life in the Fab Lane"
See the full announcement pages for interviews and judges' comments.
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #174, Spring 2011
The late Glenn E. Howarth’s painting, Female figure/nude walking into the woods, invites readers to follow and take a step into The Malahat Review’s spring edition. Featuring twenty-one poems, three short stories, eight reviews, and two pieces of creative nonfiction, the issue begins with Michael Larson’s subtle, but captivating story titled “The Woods.” Readers emerge from Howarth’s painted trees and into Larson’s spring-fed pond. From there come six short poems that draw a world coloured in nature and complexity by award-winning Canadian poet and playwright Patrick Friesen.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Michelle Ha).
Contests
Far Horizons Fiction Contest NOW OPEN!
Our Far Horizons Award for Short Fiction is now accepting entries! Deadline May 1, 2019.
Emerging writers who have yet to publish a book (publication in literary magazines is OK) are encouraged to send us short stories of 3,500 words or less. One winner will take home the $1,000 prize!
Entry fee is discounted to $25 for Canadians ($30 US, $35 international) and comes with a complimentary one-year subscription to The Malahat Review. Additional submissions cost $15, no limit.
This year's contest judge is Mehdi M. Kashani.
Click here for submission details.
E-Newsletter
Malahat lite: February 2019 Edition
Submit to our Far Horizons Award for Short Fiction contest by May 1 for a chance to win $1000! You'll also be automatically entered to win a stellar book prize!
This month's newsletter features interviews with Queer Perspectives Issue #205 contributors Cooper Lee Bombardier (CNF; pictured), and John Elizabeth Stintzi (poetry), as well as Neil Smith (translator) and Simon Boulerice (original author) about "The Mascara Kid," which consists of two chapters from Boulerice's novel L'enfant mascara.
Read all the details in this month's newsletter.
News
A New Home for The Malahat Review
We've moved! After many years in the University of Victoria's Clearihue building nestled under the clock tower, you can now find us in a more accessible office space in the neighbouring McPherson Library on campus.
If you're wanting to visit us in our new location, we're on the second floor of the library, Room 202A.
See our full mailing address on our Contact page.
News
Announcing the 2019 Open Season Contest Winners
The Malahat Review congratulates this year's contest winners!
Rami Schandall (poetry), Janika Oza (fiction; pictured), Lishai Peel (creative nonfiction)
The award comes with a $2,000 prize and publication in The Malahat Review's spring issue. Contest judges had great things to say about the winning submissions!
Check out the full announcement page for the Open Season Award winners.
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #173, Winter 2010
This edition of the Malahat Review feels remarkable, not only for the consistent excellence of the contained work, but for the impression of an unfolding as the reader passes through the consuming worlds of each of the pieces. There are two short stories, eighteen poems, six reviews, and, most notably, a piece of creative nonfiction by Eve Joseph titled “Intimate Strangers,” which won the 2010 Creative Non-Fiction Prize, as well as Gold at the 2011 Western Magazine Awards, and an Honorable Mention at the National Magazine Awards.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Quinn Stacey).
News
Finalists Chosen for 2019 Open Season Awards!
We are pleased to announce the finalists for the 2019 Open Season Awards!
Thanks to all supporters and entrants for making this possible. The winners, as chosen by contest judges Kyo Maclear, Carmelinda Scian, and Shane Book, will be announced by January 29.
See the list of the Open Season Awards contest finalists here!
E-Newsletter
Malahat lite: January 2019 Edition
Only three weeks left to submit to our Long Poem Prize contest! Two prizes of $1,000 will be awarded, and winning poems will appear in the Summer 2019 issue. In addition, we're offering a stellar book prize of nine poetry books to one lucky contest entrant!
This month's newsletter features an interview with Constance Rooke CNF Prize winner Rowan McCandless in which she talks about the hermit crab essay form, euro-colonialism, and writing about trauma in her winning essay, "Found Objects."
Queer Perspectives Issue #205 contributors Francesca Ekwuyasi (pictured) and Billeh Nickerson also weighed in on their work, talking about the evolution of their writing as well as queer writing and stories in general.
Read all the details in this month's newsletter.
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #172, Fall 2010
I don’t want to spark an argument about what creative nonfiction is. Well, that’s not really true; feel free to duke it out—whatever it is you think is worth fighting for. As a literary genre, I suggest (not argue) that it is only in the early years of the twenty-first century that creative nonfiction has come to be seen comfortably as a peer among other literary genres: poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction. The publication of creative nonfiction among the poems and stories in a magazine like Malahat is one of the traits that cements the literary quality of the form.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Jay Ruzesky).
Issues
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Issue #171, Summer 2010
In her creative nonfiction piece “Always,” Jessica Kluthe demonstrates the way in which writing can constitute a life. Her childhood is a collection of intentional mis-hearings in response to moments of familial rupture. Upon witnessing her father hit her mother, Kluthe writes: “My brother Jack yelled outside to our neighbour, ‘Darren’s gone psycho.’ I switched all the words around in my head. Someone Stole My Motorcycle.” Language intervenes. Sonofabitch becomes Sunonthebeach. Life can be hard; sometimes language can soften it.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Alana Friend Lettner).
E-Newsletter
Malahat lite: December 2018 Edition
Don't miss your chance to submit to our biennial Long Poem Prize contest! Two prizes of $1,000 will be awarded, and winning poems will appear in the Summer 2019 issue. In addition, we're offering a stellar book prize to one lucky contest entrant. All you have to do is submit to the contest, and you'll be automatically entered to win nine books of poetry from Canadian publishers!
In this month's newsletter, we're featuring interviews with Long Poem Prize contest judges Jordan Abel, Sonnet L'Abbé, and Gillian Sze (pictured). Find out what they're looking for in a winning long poem.
Our Holiday Subscription Sale is on until January 31, 2019. Gift a friend, loved one, or yourself four issues of The Malahat Review for just $15!
Read all the details in this month's newsletter.
Issues
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Issue #170, Spring 2010
The subtitle of issue 170 is “Lorna Crozier, Patrick Lane, and Aesthetic Kinship” and this volume is a festschrift for the pair of literary icons and their influence—together and separately—on a generation or two of Canadian writers and readers.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Jay Ruzesky).
Subscribe
Holiday Subscription Sale Is Back!
The gift that keeps giving all year round! Treat a friend, loved one, or yourself to four issues of The Malahat Review at our special holiday rate of $15. Good for new subscriptions or renewals/ extensions of current subscriptions. Hurry, this offer expires January 31!
Buy a discounted subscription today for yourself or a friend.
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #169, Winter 2009
There is something about the way the world is revealed in winter by its light—weak, delicate, muted—that compels us to reveal ourselves. The starkness of a landscape under snow is an invitation to introspection. Trees without leaves, earth without grass, and air without warmth: winter is a time for waiting. Winter is a time for writing.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Alana Friend Lettner).
Issues
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Issue #168, Fall 2009
Writers are obsessed with metamorphosis. Moments that transform, moments in which the before is split from the after, in which a life is riven irrevocably. The determination or despair or ambivalence with which characters meet these moments is the meat of a narrative; their reaction is what we as readers relate to, or don’t. A long life is likely to undergo many severings. A short story often undergoes only one.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Alana Friend Lettner).
Contests
Long Poem Prize Now Accepting Entries!
The Malahat's biennial Long Poem Prize is back!
This contest is one of the few in North America that accept long poems. Two prizes of $1,000 (Canadian funds) will be awarded, with winners' poems being published in the summer 2019 issue and interviews with each winner appearing on our website.
The entry fee is $35 (Canada), $40 (US), $45 (international); additional entries cost $15 from anywhere, no limit. Entry fee gets you a year's worth of The Malahat Review issues!
Contest judges this year are Jordan Abel, Sonnet L'Abbé, and Gillian Sze.
Click here for contest guidelines and submission details.
E-Newsletter
Malahat lite: November 2018 Edition
Last chance to submit to our Open Season Awards contest! Submit your poetry, fiction, and/or creative nonfiction for a chance to win $2,000!
In this month's newsletter, we're featuring interviews with Autumn Issue #204 contributors Kai Conradi (fiction), Kevin Irie (poetry; pictured), and David Gerow (fiction).
Read all the details in this month's newsletter.
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #167, Summer 2009
This summer issue features co-winners of the Long Poem Prize: Marion Quednau (British Columbia), and Matt Robinson (Nova Scotia). Quednau’s poem, “Paradise, Later Years,” is now the title piece for her new collection of poems published by Caitlin Press (Fall 2018). Robinson’s winning poem, “Against the Hard Angle,” has also served him well. Greenboathouse Press published it as a chapbook in 2009, and it is also the title for his 2010 book of poems from ECW Press.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Lucy Bashford).
News
2018 Constance Rooke CNF Prize Winner
Announcing the winner of the 2018 Constance Rooke Creative Nonfiction Prize!
Congratulations to Rowan McCandless on winning The Malahat Review's 2018 Constance Rooke CNF Prize for her essay, "Found Objects." She will receive an award of $1,000, and her winning story will be published in the Malahat's Spring 2019 issue. Her memoir was chosen by contest judge Lynne Van Luven.
See the full announcement page for the judge's comments and the winner's bio.
Events
Alden Nowlan: A Victoria Celebration
In 2017, Goose Lane Editions/icehouse poetry published the long-awaited Collected Poems of Alden Nowlan, the first-ever gathering between two covers of the complete chapbooks and full-length collections by one of Canada's most beloved poets.
Come celebrate with us at a once-in-a-lifetime reading from this book, in the voices of over twenty poets from Vancouver Island & nearby, including Nicholas Bradley, Lorna Crozier, Eve Joseph, Terence Young, Iain Higgins, Don Van Wart, Eric Miller, Richard Olafson, Arleen Pare, Linda Rogers, Garth Martens, Sonnet L'Abbe, Jan Zwicky, Jamie Dopp, Rhona McAdam, Alexander Varty, David Eso, John Barton, Marilyn Bowering, Patricia Young, Sandy Shreve, and Susan Musgrave.
Thursday, October 25, 2018, at 7:30 pm
David Lam Auditorium, MacLaurin A144
University of Victoria
All welcome—admission is free
Read more about the Alden Nowlan Victoria celebration here.
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #166, Spring 2009
Themes of entering the unknown, of discovery, and of love run through the spring 2009 issue, and are reflected in the woman’s face on the cover, as illustrated by Montana-based artist Stephanie J. Frostad. With eagerness, wariness, and curiosity we reach for future relationships and cling to those we have left in the past.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by David Brown).
E-Newsletter
Malahat lite: October 2018 Edition
Our Open Season Awards contest deadline is coming up fast. Submit your poetry, fiction, and/or creative nonfiction for a chance to win $2,000!
In this month's newsletter, we're featuring an interview with Open Season Contest creative nonfiction judge Kyo Maclear (pictured) to get you motivated to submit your entries.
Autumn issue contributor Jenny Ferguson is also featured in this newsletter with an in-depth Q&A with writer and reviewer Kate Kennedy about her essay, "Excavating Rias: the Balkans 1995, the Balkans 2016."
Read all the details in this month's newsletter.
News
Changes at The Malahat Review
"The Malahat Review has a new editor: long-time editorial board member Iain Higgins will head the prestigious literary journal for the next three years.
Higgins, a writer, translator, critic and professor in the Department of English at [the University of Victoria], will oversee the iconic publication, which has been housed at the university since its inception in 1967 and celebrated its 50th anniversary last year. [...] A committee drawn from members of The Malahat’s boards for fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction chose Higgins as the successful candidate, making him the magazine’s seventh editor." — The Ring
As we move from an interim editor to a more long-term structure, with a view to expanding what The Malahat is and what it can offer, we invite you to join our Malahat News mailing list for updates on what’s new at The Malahat Review.
Read the full article online, courtesy of UVic's community newspaper, The Ring.
News
Shortlist Announced for 2018 CNF Prize
We are pleased to announce the shortlist for the Malahat's Constance Rooke CNF Prize contest!
The winner, as chosen by contest judge Lynne Van Luven, will be announced by October 17 on our website and social media pages. Who will win the $1,000 grand prize and publication?
See who the contest finalists are!
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #165, December 2008
This themed issue of Malahat, The Green Imagination, was co-edited by John Barton and Jay Ruzesky. In his introduction, Barton says the original idea was that it be a celebratory tribute to how writers engage with the British Columbia environment. As submissions began to arrive, however, they realized the overarching vision was more elegiac, more dark than light, and, like the land, did not observe provincial boundaries.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Lucy Bashford).
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #164, September 2008
The proverbial elephant in the room has changed course and has begun a solitary journey down a seemingly deserted highway. With his impressionistic “Elephant Highway No. 2, 1984,”
the late Glenn Howarth (1946-2009) presents readers with a most unexpected, highly provocative, and strangely inviting image that feels like a challenge of sorts for readers to join this gentle giant on its adventure.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Robin Reniero).
E-Newsletter
Malahat lite: September 2018 Edition
Back to school, back to work... back to writing!
In this month's newsletter, we're featuring an interview with Open Season Contest fiction judge Carmelinda Scian (pictured) to get you motivated to submit your entries. Prize money for this contest is $6,000!
Summer issue contributor Jade Riordan is also featured in this newsletter with an in-depth Q&A!
Last chance for a Summer Subscription deal! Just $15 for a year's worth of Malahat.
Read all the details in this month's newsletter.
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #162, Spring 2008
Do you know that feeling when you go to bed physically well but wake up in the middle of the night—you know something is wrong, but you’re just waking up so you’re in a bit of a fog. And then, gradually, you realize it’s not what you thought. It’s not a thing out there that woke you up, but in here. There’s a rising chill up your spine and something funky is happening in your stomach. Then realization cuts through the fog of dreaminess and you’re up and running for the bathroom because you’ve figured it out: you’re going to puke! You know that feeling? After reading the Spring 2008 issue of Malahat, I found myself trying to remember the last time I felt it. It wasn’t that the issue itself nauseated me; I was inspired by the first story, “Puke Diary,” by Anne Fleming.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Jay Ruzesky).
Publishing Tips
Seven Ways to Get Paid for Your Writing
You've submitted your work to literary journals, but now it's a waiting game. How can you get paid now for your writing? In this month's Publishing Tip, Danielle Mitchell presents seven resources to help you keep writing—and keep paying rent.
Danielle Mitchell is the author of Makes the Daughter-in-Law Cry (Tebot Bach 2017), selected by Gail Wronsky for the Clockwise Chapbook Prize. Her poetry has appeared in journals such as the Baltimore Review, apt, Hayden’s Ferry Review, Eleven Eleven, and Nailed Magazine. Her essays on craft and the writing life have appeared on DIY MFA and Women Who Submit. She is a winner of the Mary Editor’s Prize and the Editor’s Choice Award from The Mas Tequila Review. Danielle is a member of the Community of Writers at Squaw Valley and founding director of The Poetry Lab in Long Beach, California. Learn more about her at poetryofdanielle.com.
Read Danielle Mitchell's Publishing Tip here.
Contests
Open Season Awards Now Accepting Entries
Submit your poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction for a chance to win $2000 and publication!
Want to enter more than one piece, or maybe you're a multi-genre writer? Additional entries are just $10 for all genres!
This year's contest judges are Shane Book (poetry), Carmelinda Scian (fiction), and Kyo Maclear (creative nonfiction).
Submit your poetry, fiction, and/or cnf entry today!
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #161, Winter 2007
The cover of issue #161 offers a clue as to some of the diverse and provocative content within. Pat George’s serigraph titled Homage to Andy reflects the artist’s passion for the natural world and its conservation. The outdoors, fly fishing, and the exploration of life experience weave their way into several of the pieces in this rich, reflective, and timely issue.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Robin Reniero).
E-Newsletter
Malahat lite: August 2018 Edition
We're all about summer in this month's newsletter!
Interviews: Far Horizons Award for Poetry winner Emily Osborne (pictured) talks about her winning poem, "Venn Diagrams." Summer issue contributor Carin Makuz discusses her recent creative nonfiction work.
Publishing Tip: Written by Danielle Mitchell, the article offers great advice and resources on how and where you can get paid for your writing.
Summer Subscription Sale: This is your chance to buy a one-year print subscription for yourself or a friend for only $15! The sale is on until the official last day of summer.
CNF Prize: The deadline has been extended to August 8! Take the extra week to polish up your work and enter it by Wednesday at midnight for a chance to win $1,000. This year's judge is Lynne Van Luven.
Continue reading this month's newsletter!
Issues
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Issue #159, June 2007
Not only does this issue of The Malahat Review contain the two winning poems from the 2007 Long Poem Prize contest, the cover art is contributed by Aurian Haller, one of the winning poets. Haller’s “Song of the Taxidermist”—headed by an epigraph from Wallace Stevens about beauty “in the flesh” being immortal—is made up of nine separately titled sections, each responding to a particular piece of taxidermy.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Robin Reniero).
Issues
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Issue #158, Spring 2007
Sharon McCartney has a smart poem sequence in this issue. Each part is against something: “Against Skunks,” “Against Irony,” and “Against Coyotes,” and the poems manage to be meditative and personal at the same time. “Against Coyotes” is cleverly connected on the facing page to the last story in this volume: “Undoing Wolf” by Reanna Alder. These sorts of links and juxtapositions were the deliberate work of the magazine’s editor and they often encourage a front to back reading (or rereading) of any one issue.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Jay Ruzesky).
Subscribe
Summer Subscription Deal Is Back!
Looking for something to read on the beaches of Salt Spring Island or Mykonos? Treat your friends, family, or yourself to a one-year print subscription to The Malahat Review this summer!
Subscribe to our magazine for only $15, and you'll get a year's worth of Malahat issues. Don't miss out on this great deal!
Buy a discounted subscription today for yourself or a friend.
News
Jason Jobin Makes 2018 Journey Prize Longlist
On August 7, the longlist was announced for the $10,000 Journey Prize from the Writers' Trust of Canada / McClelland & Stewart, and we are very excited to have Jason Jobin's story included in the anthology!
Please join us in congratulating Jason on his story, "Before She Left," which originally appeared in our Fiftieth Anniversary Victoria-themed Issue #200 from Autumn 2017.
Full list of longlisted authors and journals available on the Writers' Trust website
Issues
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Issue #157, December 2006
This issue contains many exciting pieces, both prose and poetry, written by names readers will recognize, including Andrew Gray, Sue Goyette, Sue Sinclair, and Henry Beissel. Jeanette Lynes also contributes two noteworthy poems to this issue, each less than one page in length, titled “The Tart Box” and “Passes.”
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by James Kendrick).
News
2018 Far Horizons for Poetry Award Winner
Announcing the winner of the 2018 Far Horizons Award for Poetry!
Congratulations to Emily Osborne (Bowen Island, B.C.) on winning The Malahat Review's 2018 Far Horizons Award for her poem, "Venn diagrams." She will receive an award of $1,000, and her winning poem will be published in the Malahat's Autumn 2018 issue. Her poem was chosen by contest judge Carolyn Smart from close to 450 entries.
See the full announcement page for judges' comments and the winner's bio.
News
Jason Jobin Wins Silver in the Fiction Category at National Magazine Awards
The Malahat Review is pleased to congratulate Jason Jobin, whose piece, "Before He Left," won a Silver National Magazine Award in the Fiction category!
Jobin's story was originally published in Issue #200, our Fiftieth Anniversary Issue.
Two other Malahat writers were nominated for a National Magazine Award: Shashi Bhat and Délani Valin.
Read an interview with Jason Jobin on his winning story.
News
Finalists Chosen for 2018 Far Horizons Award
We are pleased to announce the shortlist for the Malahat's Far Horizons Award for Poetry contest!
The winner, as chosen by contest judge Carolyn Smart, will be announced by July 11 on our website and social media pages. Who will win the $1,000 grand prize and publication?
See who the contest finalists are!
E-Newsletter
Malahat lite: July 2018 Edition
Be in the know with the July edition of Malahat lite!
Featuring interviews with Spring issue contributor Carolyn Nakagawa (pictured) and forthcoming Summer issue contributor Gordon Lonethunder who both talk poetry and poetics with Malahat staff.
Also catch an interview with Constance Rooke CNF Prize judge Lynne Van Luven on what she's looking for in a winning essay. The August 1 deadline is closing in! Submit your best creative nonfiction piece for the $1,000 prize, and don't forget about our extra book prize pack to be won.
Continue reading this month's newsletter!
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #156, Fall 2006
Among the gifts in this issue is P. K. Page’s story, “A Biography of You.” The issue bears a special dedication to P. K. because it was her 90th birthday in the fall of 2006. She is much better known for her poetry and her visual art, but Page wrote fiction all through her career and this story about a troubled and troubling guest shows that she was skillful in prose as well.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Jay Ruzesky).
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #155, Spring 2006
Half of this issue’s pages are dedicated to Pauline Holdstock’s story, “The World of Light Where We Live,” which won the 2006 Novella Prize. Publishing a novella in a quarterly magazine is a risky business—it means that the competition for the remaining pages of the issue is fierce. I love the compact form of the novella and I wonder why it isn’t the form for contemporary fiction. In this busy world of smart phones and too much information, it seems to me that a reader might take refuge in a novella, particularly because that reader might be able to get to the end of it in a week or two. A novella will have a brief period of residence in that stack of books on the bedside table, but then it will move on—a racoon to the other books’ cats; a visitor, as a good book ought to be. However, there are few print venues for the novella and that is one of the reasons that Malahat’s Novella Prize is important.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Jay Ruzesky).
E-Newsletter
Malahat lite: June 2018 Edition
Catch up on all things Queer Perspectives in our June e-newsletter!
Find out what Queer Perspectives guest editors Ali Blythe, Trevor Corkum, and Betsy Warland are looking for in submissions for the special upcoming Winter issue.
CNF Contest: The August 1 deadline is fast approaching to submit your best nonfiction piece for the $1,000 prize. This year's judge is Lynne Van Luven.
Don't miss Caroline Misner's new Publishing Tip on a universal writerly topic—accepting rejections.
Continue reading this month's newsletter here.
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #154, Spring 2006
Fiction contributors J.M. Villaverde and Terence Young’s stories are Fun House mirror images. Villaverde’s, Viglio vivere una favola, is a fictional account of a young Henry James on a trip abroad. The story is recounted in Jamesian-style, and the young man goes with the full support of his family--kindly letters are exchanged. The mocking tone of Young’s story, “The Garden of the Fugitives,” couldn’t be further from the earnestness of the first.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Lucy Bashford).
Publishing Tips
On Accepting Rejection
In this month's Publishing Tip, Caroline Misner helps you move past the disappointment and frustration of receiving yet another rejection letter.
"There is nothing more disheartening to any writer than receiving a rejection. After weeks, and often months, of meticulous research, random sparks of inspiration and long hours toiling at the keyboard, the writer feels her work of literary genius is ready to be released into the world only to have the piece rejected outright with cursory notes that begin with “Thank you for your submission, however. . .” It is a sad fact of the profession. There is little consolation in knowing that all writers, without exception, have dealt with rejection. Any writer who claims to have never received a rejection is either lying or not submitting. "
Read the rest of Caroline Misner's Publishing Tip here.
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #153, Winter 2005
There are four short stories in this issue, by Christina Estima, Heather Jessup, Mary Borsky, and Wayne McIntyre. All are accomplished and thought-provoking—or provocative in other ways—but this reviewer was most struck by the fluidity of language, the deft imagery, and the solid characterization of Borsky’s Cobalt Blue #5.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Rhonda Batchelor).
Contests
Constance Rooke CNF Prize Now Open
Submit your creative nonfiction work for a chance to win $1,000! This prize will be awarded to the best work that embraces, but is not limited to, the personal essay, memoir, narrative nonfiction, social commentary, travel writing, historical accounts, and biography, all enhanced by such elements as description, dramatic scenes, dialogue, and characterization.
This year's judge is Lynne Van Luven. Sign up for Malahat lite to read an interview with her in our upcoming July e-newsletter.
Submit your creative nonfiction entry today!
News
Three Nominations at National Magazine Awards
The Malahat Review has received three nominations for this year's National Magazine Awards!
Shashi Bhat, Jason Jobin, and Délani Valin are all on this year's nominations list.
The winners from all nominated magazines and categories will be announced on June 1 at a special gala in Toronto!
E-Newsletter
Malahat lite: May 2018 Edition
Settle into spring with our latest newsletter!
The Novella Prize winner was announced last month, and we're featuring an interview with Samantha Macpherson (pictured). Her winning story will be available to read in the Summer issue.
Spring issue contributor Jason Emde talks with Malahat interim editor Micaela Maftei about his memoir, "You Are Here," on pilgrimage, and how living abroad can shape you as a person.
Continue reading this month's newsletter for these and more goodies.
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #152, October 2005
Issue 152 begins with Aaron Shepard’s story “Valerian Tea,” which won the 2005 Far Horizons Award for short fiction. The story examines history, loss, travel, sacrifice, and moving forward through the protagonist’s trip to a foreign country to do academic research on human bodies preserved in Sweden’s bogs and his connection with a foreign widower.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Rose Morris).
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #150, Spring 2005
On the cover of this issue a gentleman in a light-blue collared shirt, his knitted sweater vest tucked neatly into his apron, serves up a plate of food across a restaurant counter, his movement captured by photographer Frank Pimentel’s camera. The title of the photograph, ”Jack Serving Special, 1987,” reveals that what Jack is about to place before us is not your average dish—and what is contained between the covers of the 150th Malahat Review is special, indeed.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Paige Lindsay).
News
Queer Perspectives Guest Editors
Read more about guest editors Ali Blythe (pictured), Trevor Corkum, and Betsy Warland, who are interested in exciting contemporary LGBTQ2S? writing by poets, short-story, and creative-nonfiction authors whose work makes vivid and particular their experience of being alive in the world.
We invite writers identifying as LGBTQ2S? to submit their work for consideration by July 15 for an issue celebrating contemporary queer writing in Canada.
Read more about Queer Perspectives guest editors.
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #149, Winter 2004
Among the noteworthy poems in this issue is “Water Birth,” by Richard Harrison, which begins: “With neither language nor a cry, you made me your father / The day you were born in a kiddie pool in our living room.” It is an unsentimental depiction of a particular home birth that seems emotionally involved even as it finds fresh language to express the wonder of new life. A page later Shane Rhodes’ poem, “Portrait” is on the other end of the life spectrum—an ode to his dead grandfather. Vivé Griffith’s poems “People are Tearing Things Down,” and “Trampoline” are a good pair of narrative poems. In each, the language—stretched taut as a trampoline—elevates the story and leads the reader to deeper considerations.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Jay Ruzesky).
News
Winner Announced for the Novella Prize
Announcing the winner of the 2018 Novella Prize!
Congratulations to Samantha Jade Macpherson (Lake Country, B.C.) on winning The Malahat Review's 2018 Novella Prize. She will receive an award of $1,500, and her winning novella will be published in the Malahat's Summer 2018 issue. Her story was chosen by contest judges Jacqueline Baker, Eliza Robertson, and Richard Van Camp from close to 150 entries.
See the full announcement page for judges' comments and the winner's bio.
E-Newsletter
Malahat lite: April 2018 Edition
April's newsletter features interviews with Founders' Awards winners Jason Jobin (fiction; pictured), Gena Ellett (creative nonfiction), and Steve McOrmond (poetry).
The Far Horizons Award for Poetry is open for submissions until May 1. Emerging writers have a chance to win $1,000, as judged by Carolyn Smart.
If you identify as an LGBTQ2S? writer, submit your work for consideration in our Queer Perspectives issue celebrating contemporary queer writing in Canada.
And check out the latest Publishing Tip from Evelyn Deshane on how to get into the Canadian speculative fiction scene.
Continue reading this month's newsletter.
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #146, Spring 2004
Issue 146, released in March 2004, contains four pieces of prose, thirty poems, and eight reviews. The collection of writers is diverse in both style and level of literary recognition, but the work in all forms is outstanding.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Quinn Stacey).
News
Finalists Chosen for 2018 Novella Prize
We are pleased to announce the shortlist for the Malahat's Novella contest!
The winner, as chosen by contest judges Jacqueline Baker, Eliza Robertson, and Richard Van Camp, will be announced by April 4 on our website and social media pages. Who will win the $1,500 grand prize and publication in our Summer issue?
A special thank you to this year's judges and to everyone who entered the contest.
See who the contest finalists are!
Publishing Tips
On Writing Canadian Speculative Fiction
In this month's Publishing Tip, Evelyn Deshane has five tips to help you find your way into the Canadian speculative fiction scene.
"Canada produces distinct speculative work, but it is work that exists in a perpetual liminal state. In order for writers of speculative fiction to receive grants, awards, publications, and gather an audience, they must become fluent in both US and Canadian markets, customs, and cultures, in addition to being good writers. It means, like so many supernatural creatures, being able to navigate two distinct worlds while also being adaptable. "
Read the rest of Evelyn Deshane's Publishing Tip here.
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #148, Fall 2004
This fall issue of Malahat opens with Jacqueline Baker’s story, “Wish,” about a hockey mom weighed down with feelings of inadequacy. Her alcoholic husband is AWOL, and she feels the pity of the other hockey parents as she tries to be what she thinks her son needs. Paul Headdrick’s, “The Studies of Fernando Sor,” is the story of an exiled and indebted Spanish composer living in Paris at the mercy of his landlady who receives prestige from his continued residency.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Lucy Bashford).
News
Shortlist Announced for WordsThaw Prize
Contest judge Arleen Paré has selected the finalists for this year's WordsThaw Prize!
In poetry: Zoe Dickinson (pictured), Anne Maclean, Christine Schrum
In micro-text: Terra Hawk, Bethany Scholfield, J. D. Zapf
Be sure to attend a special reading of the finalists on March 8 at the downtown Greater Victoria Public Library! Finalists will read their selected piece, and Arleen Paré will announce the winner in each category.
See the full announcement page for judge comments and event details.
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #147, Summer 2004
At the centre of this issue is Elisabeth Harvor’s prize-winning novella, selected by judges Robert Finley, Helen Humphreys, and Lorna Jackson. But, let’s not get ahead of ourselves! First, Crispin Elsted, cofounder of Barbarian Press, welcomes us with six poems in riddle form, drawing inspiration and subject matter from the Exeter Book. These riddles set the tone for the following poems and the novella, where the playful exposes the profound and, in the novella in particular, the humorous can reveal (or mask) something more sinister.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Paige Lindsay).
News
Founders' Award Winners for 2018 Announced
The Founders’ Awards acknowledge the longstanding excellence of The Malahat Review’s contributors. Given out annually for the best work of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction to have been published in the magazine in the previous year, the Founders’ Awards each honour a Victoria-based writer—Jack Hodgins, Charles Lillard, and P. K. Page—who has made, or continues to make, significant contributions in the genre or genres for which they are known locally, nationally, and internationally. The award comes with a $1,000 cash prize.
In poetry: Steve McOrmond for his poem, "Proof of Life"
In fiction: Jason Jobin for his story, "Before He Left"
In creative nonfiction: Gena Ellett (pictured) for her essay, "Heaven"
See the full announcement pages for interviews and judges' comments.
Contests
Far Horizons Contest Now Taking Submissions
Submit your poem(s) for a chance to win $1,000! This contest is specifically for emerging poets—eligible entrants have yet to publish their poetry in book form. Poets contributing to The Malahat Review have won or been nominated for National Magazine Awards for Poetry and the Pushcart Prize.
This year's judge is Carolyn Smart. Sign up for Malahat lite to read an interview with her in our upcoming March e-newsletter.
Submit your Far Horizons poetry entry today!
E-Newsletter
Malahat lite: March 2018 Edition
This month's Malahat lite features interviews with Far Horizons Award for Poetry judge Carolyn Smart as well as Open Season Award winners Barbara Pelman (poetry), Jann Everard (fiction), and B. A. Markus (cnf).
Be sure to get your tickets for our annual literary festival, WordsThaw, which returns March 16-18 in Victoria, B.C.
If you identify as an LGBTQ2S? writer, submit your work by July 15, 2018 for consideration in our Queer Perspectives Issue! Guest editors Betsy Warland, Ali Blythe, and Trevor Corkum are interested in submissions from poets, short-story, and creative-nonfiction authors.
The deadline for our Far Horizons Award for Poetry contest is May 1! Submit your poems for a chance to win $1,000.
Join us on March 8 at 7:00 pm at the Greater Victoria Public Library for a reading featuring the WordsThaw Prize finalists! The two winners (one in each category) will be announced that night by judge Arleen Paré. All welcome—admission is free!
Read all the details in this month's newsletter.
Publishing Tips
Six Essential Elements for a Successful Proposal
In this month's Publishing Tip, Roy Miller summarizes what you need for a winning book proposal.
"The proposal is arguably the most important part of the getting published process. Sure, a good manuscript helps, but if you have a weak (or worse off, no) proposal, that manuscript might end up untouched by the people you need to see it most. When the writing process is done and your piece is all polished and ready to go with an eye-catching front cover and gripping blurb on the back, it’s time to buckle down and start your proposal."
Read the rest of Roy Miller's Publishing Tip here.
News
Announcing the 2018 Open Season Contest Winners
The Malahat Review congratulates this year's contest winners!
Barbara Pelman (poetry), Jann Everard (fiction), B.A. Markus (creative nonfiction; pictured)
The award comes with a $2,000 prize and publication in the Malahat's spring issue. Contest judges had great things to say about the winning submissions!
Check out the full announcement page for the Open Season Award winners.
E-Newsletter
Malahat lite: February 2018 Edition
This month's Malahat lite features interviews with Winter Issue #201 contributors Morgan Charles and Andy Patton.
Check out Roy Miller's Publishing Tip, "Proposals: Pitch with Purpose," for six essential elements to help you build a successful book proposal.
If you identify as an LGBTQ2S? writer, submit your work by July 15, 2018 for consideration in our Queer Perspectives Issue! Guest editors Betsy Warland, Ali Blythe, and Trevor Corkum are interested in submissions from poets, short-story, and creative-nonfiction authors.
The deadline for our Novella Prize contest has been extended to February 5! Submit your 10,000 to 20,000 word story for a chance to win $1,500.
Join us for a reading with Christine Lowther and Lisa Bird-Wilson hosted by Planet Earth Poetry on Thursday, February 2 at 7:30 at Hillside Coffee & Tea (1633 Hillside Avenue, Victoria, B.C.). All welcome—admission is free!
Read all the details in this month's newsletter.
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #145, Winter 2003
With issue 145, the second epoch of Malahat’s long and hearty life comes to a close, or at least by my reckoning it does. Constance Rooke, Derk Wynand, and Marlene Cookshaw put their individual marks on the magazine, but in many ways, they had the same idea about what Malahat was and Marlene was a consistent presence through all of those years.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Jay Ruzesky).
News
Finalists Chosen for 2018 Open Season Awards!
We are pleased to announce the finalists for the 2018 Open Season Awards!
Thanks to all supporters and entrants for making this possible. The winners, as chosen by contest judges Evelyn Lau, Carleigh Baker, and Betsy Warland, will be announced by February 1.
See the list of the Open Season Awards contest finalists here!
News
Queer Perspectives Call for Submissions
We invite writers identifying as LGBTQ2S? to submit their work for consideration for an issue celebrating contemporary queer writing in Canada.
Guest editors Ali Blythe, Trevor Corkum, and Betsy Warland are interested in exciting contemporary LGBTQ2S? writing by poets, short-story, and creative-nonfiction authors whose work makes vivid and particular their experience of being alive in the world.
Submission guidelines for Queer Perspectives
Events
Lisa Bird-Wilson and Christine Lowther Reading
Friday, February 2, 2018 at 7:30 pm (doors at 7:00)
Planet Earth Poetry, Hillside Coffee & Tea
1633 Hillside Avenue, Victoria B.C.
All welcome—admission is free
Read more about Bird-Wilson and Lowther's reading here.
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #143, Summer 2003
Central to this issue are the two winners of the Malahat’s 2003 Long Poem Prize. Roseanne S. Carrara’s “Kenotaphion” is comprised of nine carefully crafted parts that draw their inspiration from the Bible, especially verses from the New Testament, and quotations from Shakespeare’s Pericles. While it’s easy to enjoy the lush imagery and language predominate in these individual poems, readers would perhaps benefit having familiarity with the source materials to fully appreciate the nuances.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Rhonda Batchelor).
Contests
WordsThaw Prize For Victoria Writers
Now Open For Entries
Are you an emerging writer in Greater Victoria? An exciting showcase of local talent, this contest will award a cash prize of $500 each in two categories: Poetry and Micro Text (either short fiction or creative nonfiction).
The entry fee includes a full WordsThaw Writers Festival pass and a one-year subscription to The Malahat Review. The winners will be published on the Malahat’s WordsThaw website.
Read an interview with this year's contest judge, Arleen Paré.
Submit your WordsThaw Prize entry today!
News
The Malahat Review at Fifty
To celebrate The Malahat Review's fiftieth year, then-editor John Barton and assistant editor Rhonda Batchelor teamed up with the University of Victoria's library to publish a monograph about the literary journal that has shaped and been shaped by Canada's literary community since 1967. The monograph was unveiled on January 25, 2018, and has now been made available to read for free as an open access PDF.
Read our full announcement here.
Events
The Right Stuff: Emerging Malahat Writers Read
For more than a decade, The Malahat Review has invited promising students enrolled in UVic's Department of Writing to sit on the editorial board. Past and present interns will read from their own poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. Celebrate their energy and accomplishment.
Readings by: Serena Bhandar, Levi F. Binnema, Jason Jobin, Holly Lam, Kyeren Regehr, Melanie Siebert, and Hal Walling.
Thursday, January 18, 2018, at 7:00 pm
Central Branch, Greater Victoria Public Library
735 Broughton Street
All welcome—admission is free
Read more about The Right Stuff reading here.
E-Newsletter
Malahat lite: January 2018 Edition
New year, new writing resolutions!
This month's Malahat lite features interviews with Constance Rooke CNF Prize winner Nancy Holmes as well as Winter Issue #201 contributors Jan Conn and Irena Karafilly.
The deadline for our WordsThaw Prize contest for Victoria writers is January 20! Submit your poem or micro text and you could win one of two $500 prizes.
Polish up your 10,000 to 20,000 word story for our Novella Prize contest and send it to us by February 1, 2018. One winner receives the $1500 prize!
Join us for The Right Stuff, a reading featuring past and present Malahat interns on January 18 at 7:00 p.m. at the Greater Victoria Public Library's Central Branch downtown. Admission is free!
Read all the details in this month's newsletter.
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #141, Winter 2002
Mary Swan won Malahat’s Novella Prize in 2000 for “The Deep,” and that story subsequently won the O’Henry Prize. Issue 141 opens with another offering from Swan: “Naomi”—a character-driven story that begins with the birth of Sadie who has “a mass of dark hair and a strong cry.” The story is a powerful exploration of family dynamics.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Jay Ruzesky).
Contests
Novella Prize Now Accepting Entries
The Novella Prize contest occurs biennially, so if you missed it in 2016, now's your chance!
Submit your 10,000 to 20,000 word story for a chance to win $1500.
Read interviews with this year's contest judges: Eliza Robertson, Richard Van Camp, and Jacqueline Baker.
Submit your Novella Prize entry today!
Publishing Tips
What to Look for in Newsletters and Resource Lists
In this month's Publishing Tip, Erika Dreifus outlines four helpful features to help you decide whether to hit "subscribe" or not.
"Sometimes, as all of the information that these newsletters circulate pings into your e-mail inbox or competes for your attention on Facebook and Twitter, it can become a bit overwhelming. Sometimes, it can seem repetitive, with one source's newsletter or list blending blandly into the next. Sometimes, you can spend so much time perusing every available resource that your actual writing time is shortchanged."
Read the rest of Erika Dreifus' Publishing Tip here.
E-Newsletter
Malahat lite: December 2017 Edition
Soak up the December sunshine with our latest newsletter!
This month's Malahat lite features interviews with WordsThaw Prize judge Arleen Paré as well as Novella Prize judges Jacqueline Baker, Eliza Robertson, and Richard Van Camp.
Our WordsThaw Prize contest for Victoria writers is open for entries! Submit your poem or micro text (fiction or CNF) and you could win one of two $500 prizes. Each entrant also receives a free WordsThaw pass and a one-year subscription. Deadline is January 20, 2018.
Our Novella Prize contest is also open for submissions. Polish up your 10,000 to 20,000 word novella and send it to us by February 1, 2018. Three judges will choose one winner to receive the $1500 prize.
Our Holiday subscription deal is back! Give the gift of words to a friend—or yourself—for only $15. (We won't tell how little you spent!)
Not sure whether to hit "subscribe" for yet another literary newsletter? Erika Dreifus helps you decide in this month's Publishing Tip, "What to Look For in Newsletters and Resource Lists."
Celebrate Brick Magazine's 100th issue, Canadian Notes and Queries' 100th issue, and The Malahat Review's 200th issue with a special subscription bundle! Only $50 for a one-year subscription to all three literary journals—a total of nine issues. The Holiday Hundreds deal is only available until December 31, and only in Canada.
Read all the details in this month's newsletter.
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #139, Summer 2002
The cover image of Issue #139 of The Malahat Review seems to embody what it means to be a poet and writer. The image (1999), the combined efforts of Manitoba artists Aganetha Dyck (sculptor) and William Eakin (photographer) depicts a honeybee working on a line of poetry by Di Brandt. In doing so, they give Brandt’s poem renewed life. Dyck, well known for her work with honeybees, offers a provocative look at what emerges by introducing various objects into the hive and allowing the bees to build their honeycombs on them. The result is sweet, indeed.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Robin Reniero).
Subscribe
Holiday Subscription Deal Is Back!
Treat your friends, family, or yourself to The Malahat Review this holiday season!
Subscribe to our magazine for only $15, and you'll get a year's worth of Malahat issues starting with Issue #201, to be mailed in late January.
Don't miss out on this great deal!
Buy a discounted subscription today for yourself or a loved one.
Events
The Best of the Best Canadian Poetry
Enjoy a Sunday afternoon poetry extravaganza in celebration of the tenth-anniversary edition of the Best Canadian Poetry in English series. Come listen to a rich sampling of poems by local contributors.
Readings by: John Barton, Yvonne Blomer, Lorna Crozier, Sonnet L'Abbe, Anita Lahey, Shelley A. Leedahl, and Patricia Young.
Sunday, December 3, 2017, at 1:30 pm
Fine Arts Building, University of Victoria,
Room 103
All welcome—admission is free
Read more about The Best of the Best Canadian Poetry reading here.
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #138, Spring 2002
Although its cover photo, “Les Cosmos,” by Richard-Max Trembley, is a rather somber one, this issue’s contents are as bright and varied as those same flowers in a sunny garden. The delight in reading back issues of The Malahat is the discovery of so many authors new to me or finding early work by those I have come to admire over the years.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Rhonda Batchelor).
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #49, Winter 1979
Despite the changes in the world over the past forty years, there is something comforting about looking back at a 1979 issue of Malahat to see that the essence of it—finding good writing and making it public—is as it always was. And, because it’s really just that simple, the magazine has an engine that could keep it going for decades.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Jay Ruzesky).
Events
Issue #200 Launch
Come celebrate The Malahat Review's first 50 years!
Join us for refreshments, conversation, poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction.
Readings by: Marilyn Bowering, Shane Book, Annabel Howard, Philip Kevin Paul, Madeline Sonik, Terence Young, and Brock Zawila.
Wednesday, November 8, 2017
7:30 p.m. (doors open at 7:00)
Munro's Books
1108 Government St.
Admission is free!
Read more about the Issue #200 launch party here.
Contests
Novella Prize Now Open For Entries
Submit your 10,000 to 20,000 word story for a chance to win $1500. Previous winning entries have also won or been nominated for National Magazine Awards for Fiction and the O. Henry Prize.
The Novella Prize contest occurs biennially, so if you missed it in 2016, now's your chance!
Read interviews with this year's contest judges: Eliza Robertson, Richard Van Camp, and Jacqueline Baker.
Submit your Novella Prize entry today!
E-Newsletter
Malahat lite: November 2017 Edition
Curl up by the fire with our latest newsletter!
This month's Malahat lite features interviews with Issue #200 contributors Shane Book (pictured) and Arleen Paré on their poems, and Madeline Sonik on her creative nonfiction story.
The Open Season Awards deadline has been extended! Take advantage of the extra few days and submit your poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction to us by November 5 at midnight, PST.
Last chance for our Autumn subscription campaign! Just $12 for a year's worth of Malahat. Offer expires November 24.
Do you live in Victoria, B.C.? Don't miss our Victoria Issue #200 Launch Party on November 8 at Munro's Books. And on December 3 at 1:30, join us for a poetry extravaganza at the University of Victoria for the Best of the Best Canadian Poetry.
Read all the details in this month's newsletter.
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #137, Winter 2001
The winter 2001 issue embraces poetry and fiction alike, broadly exploring themes such as human interaction, relationships, nostalgia, and experience. With poems from Margo Button, Gerald Hill, Virgil Suarez, Jeanette Lynes, and more, there is no lack of content in which to indulge.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Abby Neufeld).
News
Announcing the 2017 CNF Prize Winner
The Malahat Review congratulates Nancy Holmes as this year's Constance Rooke Creative Nonfiction Prize winner!
Her entry, "Flaubert's Hummingbirds," was chosen by final judge Brian Brett from over 120 entries.
The award comes with a $1,000 prize and publication in the winter issue of the Malahat.
Check out the full announcement page for Nancy Holmes's win.
News
Finalists Chosen for 2017 Constance Rooke Creative Nonfiction Prize!
We are pleased to announce the finalists for the Malahat's Constance Rooke Creative Nonfiction Prize!
The winner, as chosen by contest judge Brian Brett, will be announced by October 25 on our website and social media pages. Who will win the $1,000 grand prize and publication?
See who the contest finalists are!
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #136, March 2001
The fall 2001 issue is thick with poetry, rich with poetry, greedy with poetry, gluttonous, swinish, gormandized with poetry. There are poems by Eve Joseph, Crispin Elsted, Derk Wynand, Jan Zwicky, M. Travis Lane, and Iain Higgins. Michael Crummy’s two poems are dark and beautiful in an east-coast way.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Jay Ruzesky).
Publishing Tips
The Benefits of Brevity, A Strong Bio, and Not Burning Bridges
In this month's Publishing Tip, Robin Richardson gives us straightforward answers about what editors want to see in your bio and submission letters.
"Before an editor sees your work she sees your bio. It is very important that you use this opportunity to make an impactful and professional impression. A strong bio is simple, to the point, and leads with core points of your career. List your past publications first, followed by your MFA and awards, if applicable. Finish off with where you currently live. Your bio should be easy to read, unembellished, and concise. Do not list your hobbies. Avoid being clever, cute, arrogant or modest. No one needs you to tell them what kind of writer you are. Your work will do that."
Read the rest of Robin Richardson's Publishing Tip here.
E-Newsletter
Malahat lite: October 2017 Edition
Fall is here to stay in our latest newsletter!
This month's Malahat lite features interviews with Issue #200 contributors Kate Kennedy (pictured) on her poem, and Brock Zawila on his short story.
Robin Richardson walks us through what not to include in submission letters to editors in her Publishing Tip.
Don't miss our Autumn subscription campaign! Just $12 for a year's worth of Malahat.
The Open Season Awards deadline is fast approaching. Submit your poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction to us by November 1.
Read all the details in this month's newsletter.
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #134, March 2001
2001’s spring issue, which features work by Jan Zwicky, Bill Gaston, Patrick Friesen, and other notable Canadian authors, contains several poems and short stories where animals play an important role.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Rose Morris).
Issues
The Malahat's 50th Anniversary Issue
Since 1967, as an anchor of Victoria writing, we've had the good fortune to launch and sustain the reputations of many Victoria writers by publishing their work at all stages of their careers. This autumn, we celebrate 50 years of The Malahat Review!
Our 200th issue aims to honour the beautiful “long-term” relationship we've had with writers in a festschrift that will reveal where Victoria writing has come from, where it is today, and where it may be heading.
Stay tuned: the issue will be mailed to subscribers in late October.
See the full table of contents for the Malahat's 200th issue.
Contests
Open Season Awards Now Open For Entries
The November 1 deadline is fast approaching! Have you started writing your entries yet?
Our most popular writing contest all year, the Open Season Awards gives $2000 to three separate winners in each of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. Submission fee comes with a one-year subscription and additional entries only cost $10, no limit!
This year's contest judges are Evelyn Lau (poetry), Carleigh Baker (fiction), and Betsy Warland (creative nonfiction).
Send in your best writing to this year's contest.
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #133, December 2000
With the image of a humble cookie-tin lid on the cover of issue #133, Canadian photographer William Eakin seems to invite and even challenge readers to question what they see as valuable and meaningful in this life, a theme that weaves its way through this rich collection of short stories and poems.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Robin Reniero).
E-Newsletter
Malahat lite: September 2017 Edition
Back to school, back to work... back to writing!
In this month's newsletter, we're featuring interviews with the Open Season Contest judges to get you motivated to submit your entries. Evelyn Lau (pictured), Carleigh Baker, and Betsy Warland each discuss their respective genres (poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction). Prize money is now $6,000!
Far Horizons Award winner Katherin Edwards and Summer issue contributor Robert Finley are also featured in this newsletter with in-depth Q&As!
Autumn subscription campaign is here! Just $12 for a year's worth of Malahat.
Read all the details in this month's newsletter.
Subscribe
Fall Subscription Campaign Now On!
Send the kids back to school and snuggle into reading this fall with The Malahat Review!
Subscribe to our magazine for only $12, and you'll get a year's worth of Malahat issues starting with the 50th Anniversary Victoria Issue, to be mailed in late October.
This is one deal you don't want to miss out on!
Buy a discounted subscription today for yourself or a loved one.
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #132, Summer 2000
Have you ever gone back to your old stomping grounds, only to realize that everything has changed since your last visit? In the first of four poems by Karen Solie in this issue, the author muses how, “decades ago, camping here with family, sweetgrass / and the book of stars seemed a gracious guide / to being in the world. Now you are merely something for a deer to avoid.” Her other poems, which are titled “Thanksgiving,” “Early in Winter,” and “Real Life,” echo the same nostalgia that comes from moments one often takes for granted.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Olivia Lavallée).
Subscribe
Last Chance! One-Year Subscriptions for $15
Summer is coming to an end, and so is this great deal!
Until September 4, get a one-year subscription to The Malahat Review for just $15. This can be a new subscription, a renewal of a current one, or a gift to friends or family members. And we'll ship to anywhere in the world!
Regular subscriptions cost between $35 and $45, so consider this $15 deal a steal!
Buy a one-year subscription today for yourself or a friend.
Contests
Open Season Awards: Prize Money Now $6000
We've increased the prize money for each Open Season Award genre (poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction) from $1500 CAD to $2000, for a total of $6000 to be given away this year!
What's more, we've lowered the "additional entry" fee from $15 to $10 for all genres!
This year's contest judges are Evelyn Lau (poetry), Carleigh Baker (fiction), and Betsy Warland (creative nonfiction).
Submit your Open Season Award entry today!
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #131, Summer 2000
The entire first half of this issue is filled by the winner of Malahat’s Novella Prize, which means that 12.5% of the year’s Malahat page quota for fiction and poetry is this one story. “The Deep,” by Mary Swan, was later published by Porcupine’s Quill, Granta in the UK, and by Random House in the U.S. Your question here should be, “Is it worth it?” and my answer for you is, “Well, yes it is.”
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Jay Ruzesky).
Publishing Tips
Building Your Own MFA Program
In this month's Publishing Tip, Alicia Elliott provides a helpful outline for aspiring writers who might not have taken an MFA program but would like to further their writing and publishing skills.
"From an outside perspective it definitely seems like if you want to move ahead in the Canadian literary industry, the best way to do so is to go through an MFA program. However, that's not always a possibility for those who don't have the access or opportunity. Maybe you aren't financially able to move to the cities that offer these programs; maybe you can't leave home due to family obligations; maybe professional commitments are in your way. Or maybe, like me, you got rejected from every MFA program you applied to and, dreams momentarily shattered, you accepted your need to take a lowly barista job at Starbucks to pay the bills."
Read the rest of Alicia Elliott's Publishing Tip here.
E-Newsletter
Malahat lite: August 2017 Edition
We're all about summer in this month's newsletter!
Interviews: Summer issue contributors J. Mark Smith (pictured) and Shashi Bhat talk about their recent poetry and short fiction, respectively.
Publishing Tip: If you never completed an MFA program but want to fine tune your skills as a writer, this month's tip is for you. Written by Alicia Elliott, the article offers great hints on reading, critiquing, submitting, and more.
Open Season Awards: This year's contest is now open for submissions! We offer $1,500 in each category of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. This year's judges are Evelyn Lau (poetry), Carleigh Baker (fiction), and Betsy Warland (CNF).
Continue reading this month's newsletter!
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #130, Spring 2000
The relatively high number of contributors to this issue is largely due to the many poets represented, often with a single poem each. They are fine poets, and fine poems, and I’ll address some of them further on in this review. For me, however, it is the short fiction that completely captivated my attention and left me thinking on these stories long after. Read more.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Rhonda Batchelor).
Issues
Indigenous Perspectives Content Free to Read
Good news! After requests to post the contents of Issue #197: Indigenous Perspectives online, we are happy to announce that many of the published poems, short stories, and memoirs from the issue are free to read online!
We hope this will make the authors' work available to readers—especially Indigenous readers—who live in remote places, far from bookstores and libraries, and that it will provide an affordable option for anyone who might otherwise not be able to read the important work it contains.
Start reading poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction from the issue!
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #129, December 1999
I am one of those people who believe that writing can be taught. There are hundreds of thousands of students taking creative writing classes in academic institutions all over the world, and though we know that they won’t all go on to win the Nobel Prize, they develop communication skills that will be, at least, useful in this communication-oriented world. In any of those classes there is, sometimes, a student that just shines. The last story in this issue is “Alchemy,” written by then twenty-five year old UBC student Madeleine Thien. The story makes clear that she is one of those brighter lights. Read more.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Jay Ruzesky).
News
2017 Far Horizons Short Fiction Award Winner
The Malahat Review congratulates Katherin Edwards as this year's Far Horizons Short Fiction Award winner!
Her entry, "Faster Horses," was chosen by final judge Steven Price from close to 200 entries.
The award comes with a $1,000 prize and publication in the Winter 2017 issue.
(Photo credit: Donna Kane)
Check out the full announcement page for Katherin Edwards' win.
News
Three Malahat Authors Make 2017 Journey Prize Longlist
On July 14, the longlist was announced for the $10,000 Journey Prize from the Writers' Trust of Canada / McClelland & Stewart, and we are very excited to have THREE stories included in the anthology!
Please join us in congratulating our authors:
Darlene Naponse from Naughton, ON for "She Is Water" (Issue #197 Indigenous Perspectives, Winter 2017)
Maria Reva from Vancouver, BC for "Subject Winifred" (Issue #194, Spring 2016)
Jack Wang from Vancouver, BC for "The Nature Of Things" (Issue #196, Autumn 2016)
Full list of longlisted authors and journals available on the Writers' Trust website
News
Finalists Chosen for 2017 Far Horizons Award
We are pleased to announce the finalists for the Malahat's Far Horizons Award for Short Fiction!
The winner, as chosen by contest judge Steven Price, will be announced by July 17 on our website and social media pages. Who will win the $1,000 grand prize and publication?
See who the contest finalists are!
E-Newsletter
Malahat lite: July 2017 Edition
Be in the know with the July edition of Malahat lite!
Interviews: Spring issue contributor Curtis LeBlanc and forthcoming Summer issue contributor Lenea Grace both talk poetry and poetics with Malahat staff.
Summer Campaign: Until September, you can purchase a discounted one-year subscription for only $15! Offer good for new subscriptions or renewals, to anywhere in the world.
CNF Contest: The August 1 deadline is closing in to submit your best nonfiction piece for the $1,000 prize. Don't forget about our extra prizes (mentorship with Liz Harmer, and book prize pack)!
Continue reading this month's newsletter!
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #126, Spring 1999
In this issue, poetry by writers who were, or who have come to be, important figures in the Canadian writing landscape sit alongside fresh fiction by emerging voices. The writing group Pain Not Bread, made up of Roo Borso, Kim Maltman, and Andy Patton, contribute six poems taken from Introduction to the Introduction to Wang Wei. Pain Not Bread were winners of the 1993 Malahat Long Poem Prize for this work, and here we have six poems from the piece, with a brief introductory note giving context. Read more.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Micaela Maftei).
Publishing Tips
Six Ways to Maximize Your Marketing Efforts in Publishing
You've written your masterpiece. What are the next steps to market it? In this month's Publishing Tip, Doretta Lau presents six essential ways to taking your writing—and your writer profile—to the next level.
Doretta Lau (@dorettalau) is the author of the short story collection How Does a Single Blade of Grass Thank the Sun?. She splits her time between Hong Kong and Vancouver, where she’s working on a comic novel about a dysfunctional workplace. She is also launching a pop culture website, The Unpublishables.
Read Doretta Lau's Publishing Tip here.
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #124, September 1998
This issue features a balance of poetry and prose. “Permissible Words,” the opening story by Joan Givner, centres on a game of Scrabble between a grandmother and granddaughter. As the game progresses, we learn there's been recent a family upheaval—the granddaughter's father has left her mother for a handsome younger man, and neither parent is currently fit to care for her. Givner has a way of exposing just enough information, so that by the end of the story, we are in the same in-between world as the granddaughter, uncertain of everything. Read more.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by L'Amour Lisik).
Contests
Constance Rooke Creative Nonfiction Contest: $1,000 Prize, and Extra Incentives to Enter!
The Malahat is accepting submissions for its annual Creative Nonfiction Prize until August 1!
Writers of creative nonfiction are encouraged to send us submissions between 2,000 to 3,000 words. One winner will take home the $1,000 prize! This year's judge is Brian Brett.
This year, we're offering two extra incentives to enter: first, writers can enter by an early date of July 15 for a chance at a mentorship with Liz Harmer; second, all contest entrants will be included in a book-prize draw to win five nonfiction books!
Read all the prize details on the CNF Contest entry page.
Subscribe
Summer Subscription Sale is Back! $15 Deal
The summer is just around the corner, and here at the Malahat, that means great deals for our subscribers!
Until September, you can get a one-year subscription to The Malahat Review for just $15. This can be a new subscription, a renewal of a current one, or a gift to friends or family members. And we'll ship to anywhere in the world!
Regular subscriptions cost between $35 and $45, so consider this $15 deal a steal!
Buy a one-year subscription today for yourself or a friend.
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #123, Summer 1998
Derk Wynand taught in the University of Victoria’s Writing Department from 1969 to 2004 and had a long association with The Malahat Review. In 1979, he guest-edited a special issue (#37 January 1979) on “Austrian Writing Today” and in the 1990s he was editor of the magazine for six years. This issue—the last under his editorship—also marks a sort of independence for the magazine. Read more.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Jay Ruzesky).
E-Newsletter
Malahat lite: June 2017 Edition
This month's newsletter has Spring issue contributor interviews, a new publishing tip, call for submissions to our CNF Contest, and more!
Interviews: Sina Queyras and Christine Lowther, both contributors to the Spring issue, discuss their poetry and creative nonfiction, respectively.
Publishing Tip: this month, Vancouver-area writer Doretta Lau shares six essential tips to maximize your marketing efforts in publishing!
Contest: Our annual Creative Nonfiction Prize is open for submissions until August 1. Think you have what it takes? Send us your best truths and you could win $1,000!
Continue reading this month's newsletter for more details.
News
Alicia Elliott Wins Gold in the Essays Category at National Magazine Awards
The Malahat Review is pleased to congratulate Alicia Elliott, whose piece, "A Mind Spread Out on the Ground," won a Gold National Magazine Award in the Essays category!
Elliott's essay was originally published in Issue #197, Indigenous Perspectives, as chosen by creative nonfiction editor, Leanne Simpson.
Three other Malahat writers were nominated for a National Magazine Award: Lindsay Nixon, Elyse Friedman, and George Elliott Clarke.
Alicia Elliott's full essay is available to read on the NMA website.
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #122, Spring 1998
This scarce issue contains a remarkable gathering of poetry. A quick glance at the table of contents reveals many familiar names. Malahat’s current editor, John Barton, who was, back then, co-editor of Arc, has two poems here; Susan Glickman also contributes two poems. David Zieroth’s four poems are perfect examples of his brand of close observation in a deceptively simple, yet dream-like, narrative style. Read more.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Rhonda Batchelor).
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #120, September 1997
This issue begins with a dedication to the memory of Robin Skelton, the founder of the University of Victoria’s Creative Writing Department, and a co-founder of The Malahat Review. Skelton died in August 1997, shortly before the publication of this issue. Read more.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by James Kendrick).
E-Newsletter
Malahat lite: May 2017 Edition
Settle into Spring with our latest newsletter!
The Long Poem Prize winners were announced last month, and we're featuring interviews with both winners: John Wall Barger and Délani Valin. Their winning poems will be available to read in the Summer issue.
Spring issue contributor Mehdi M. Kashani (pictured) talks with Malahat editor John Barton about his story, "Dayi," on infidelity and immigration to Vancouver.
Continue reading this month's newsletter for these and more goodies.
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #119, Summer 1997
This excellent issue (but then, aren’t they all?) features the co-winners of the Long Poem Prize, Halifax-based Brian Bartlett, who also won in 1991, and Stephanie Bolster, originally from the west coast, but based in Ottawa at that time. Bartlett’s seventeen-page poem, composed in quintets, opens the issue. “Hawthornden Improvisations” was drafted during his month-long stay at Hawthornden Castle International Retreat for Writers, in Scotland. The author’s approach is a purposefully improvisational one, with thoughts ranging widely, yet always circling inward and with revelatory insights. Read more.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Rhonda Batchelor).
News
Four Nominations at National Magazine Awards
The Malahat Review has received four nominations for this year's National Magazine Awards!
Alicia Elliott, Lindsay Nixon, Elyse Friedman, and George Elliott Clarke are all on this year's nominations list.
The winners from all nominated magazines and categories will be announced on May 26 at a special gala in Toronto!
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #118, Spring 1997
Steven Heighton’s prose piece “The Age of Clowns” is the first item in this issue. It is an unusual and interesting blend of story and essay, part autobiography and part cultural criticism. The piece follows the author as he embarks on a footrace against costumed opponents, and as he reflects on the state of contemporary thought. “The Age of Clowns” is followed by Patricia Young’s short poem “Days of Summer,” and these two pieces set a precedent of literary quality met by the rest of the issue. Read more.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by James Kendrick).
Publishing Tips
How Not to Learn About Trolls
April's Publishing Tip comes to you from Tara Wohlberg, founder of the online poetry journal, Cede Poetry. In this article, she discusses the difficulties of launching a new literary magazine in today's market, and the contradictory level of support from unknown audiences on the Canadian literary landscape.
A finalist in the City of Westminster (UK) Poetry Competition, Tara Wohlberg's poetry was shortlisted for The Malahat Review's Open Season Awards in 2010, published in CV2 and Quills, and her chapbook Cold Surely Takes the Wood was published by Alfred Gustav Press in 2013.
Read Tara Wohlberg's Publishing Tip here.
News
Winners Announced for the Long Poem Prize
Announcing the winners of the Long Poem Prize!
Congratulations to John Wall Barger (Halifax, Nova Scotia) and Délani Valin (Nanaimo, British Columbia) on winning The Malahat Review's 2017 Long Poem Prize. Both winners will receive an award of $1,000, and their winning poems will be published in the Malahat's Summer 2017 issue. Their poems were chosen from close to 200 entries by contest judges Louise Bernice Halfe, George Elliott Clarke, and Patricia Young.
See the full announcement page for judges' comments and winner bios.
E-Newsletter
Malahat lite: April 2017 Edition
The April newsletter is chock-full of contest goodies and announcements, previews of our Spring issue, and more!
The Far Horizons Award for Short Fiction is open for submissions until May 1. Emerging writers have a chance to win $1,000, as judged by Steven Price. Malahat publicity manager PJ Grace recently interviewed Steven about his role as contest judge for the Far Horizons Award. Read it to see what he'll be looking for in submissions!
We recently announced the finalists for the Long Poem Prize, and winners of our annual Founders' Awards. Congratulations to everyone on both lists!
And check out the latest Publishing Tip from Cede Poetry founder, Tara Wohlberg, on the struggles of launching an online poetry magazine in today's tough literary market.
Continue reading this month's newsletter.
News
Finalists Chosen for 2017 Long Poem Prize
We are pleased to announce the finalists for the Malahat's 2017 Long Poem Prize!
Two winners will be announced by end of next week. Both will take home $1,000 and their long poems will be published in our Summer issue.
A special thank you to this year's judges (George Elliott Clarke, Louise Bernice Halfe, and Patricia Young) and to everyone who entered the contest.
See who the seven finalists are on our special announcement page.
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #116, Fall 1996
This issue opens with some exciting poetry, as it begins with four poems by Don McKay, “Setting the Table,” “Setting up the Drums,” “What Kind of Fool Am I?” and “Eclogue: Abandoned Trucks,” followed shortly by three poems from Susan Musgrave. These two groups of poems bookend Margaret Hollingsworth’s short story “The Faithful Orchid.” Read more.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by James Kendrick).
News
Founders' Award Winners for 2017 Announced
The Founders’ Awards acknowledge the longstanding excellence of The Malahat Review’s contributors. Given out annually for the best work of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction to have been published in the magazine in the previous year, the Founders’ Awards each honour a Victoria-based writer—Jack Hodgins, Charles Lillard, and P. K. Page—who has made, or continues to make, significant contributions in the genre or genre...s for which they are known locally, nationally, and internationally. The award comes with a $1,000 cash prize.
In poetry: Billy-Ray Belcourt for his poem, "Love is a Moontime Teaching"
In fiction: Lisa Bird-Wilson for her story, "Counselling"
In creative nonfiction: Kelly Bouchard for his essay, "Women and Children"
See the full announcement pages for interviews and judges' comments.
News
Photos from the WordsThaw Writers Festival
The Malahat Review has wrapped up another successful WordsThaw Writers Festival!
We at the Malahat would like to take this opportunity to thank the authors, sponsors, organizations, and especially our readers and participants who made the event everything that it was. We look forward to seeing you again next year! In the meantime, check out photos from this year’s festival (courtesy of UVic Writing student, Spencer Pickles).
See the WordsThaw website for more news and tidbits leading up to the festival.
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #115, Summer 1996
Barbara Lambert's novella, "A Message for Mr. Lazarus" takes up over half of the pages of this issue. What literary magazine does that? Well, The Malahat Review does, obviously. Why? Because "Mr. Lazarus" was the winner of the 1996 Novella Prize (Lambert was also a finalist in Malahat's first novella contest). The prize itself separates us from some other literary magazines simply because we have, through this contest and its biennial counterpart, the Long Poem Prize, asserted the importance of these two slightly unwieldy forms (too short to be a book on their own, but too long for most quarterlies). Read more.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Jay Ruzesky).
Contests
Far Horizons Contest Now Taking Submissions
The Malahat's Far Horizons Award for Short Fiction is now accepting entries! Deadline May 1.
Emerging writers who have yet to publish a book (publication in literary magazines is OK) are encouraged to send us short stories of 3,500 words or less. One winner will take home the $1,000 prize!
Entry fee is discounted to $25 for Canadians ($30 US, $35 international) and comes with a complimentary one-year subscription to The Malahat Review. Additional submissions cost $15, no limit.
This year's contest judge is acclaimed poet and novelist, Steven Price.
Click here for full contest submission and payment details.
E-Newsletter
Malahat lite: March 2017 Edition
March's newsletter continues our celebration of the Indigenous Perspectives Issue, published in January. Featured interviews include Joshua Whitehead on his story, "Jonny Appleseed," and Louise Bernice Halfe on her contribution of four poems to the issue.
The Open Season Award winners for 2017 were recently announced, and they share their thoughts on what it was like to win $1,500 each as part of the grand prize. Winners were Genevieve Lehr in poetry, Rebecca Morris in fiction, and Matthew Hollett in creative nonfiction.
Festival passes are still available for this year's WordsThaw Writers Festival, taking place next week, March 16 - 19 in Victoria, B.C. This is one festival you don't want to miss!
Continue reading this month's newsletter.
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #114, Spring 1996
An issue containing an interview is always a pleasure, not only for the insights offered by the subject of the interview but also for getting a sense of the time in which the interview took place. In this issue, Eleanor Wachtel talks with Martin Amis about his then-recent novels (Time’s Arrow and The Information), and his views more broadly (in considering the themes captivating him at the time, he suggests that “Innocence is definitely what the world is losing” and predicts, about political correctness, “that label is going to be dead in a couple of years”). Read more.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Micaela Maftei).
News
Shortlist Announced for WordsThaw Prize
Contest judge Janet Rogers has selected the finalists for our inaugural WordsThaw Prize!
In poetry: Simone Blais (pictured), April Ripley, Nancy Yakimoski
In micro-text: Keva Glynn, Sarah Hamill, Wanda Hurren
Be sure to attend a special reading of the finalists on March 9 at the downtown Greater Victoria Public Library! Finalists will read their selected piece, and Janet Rogers will announce the winner in each category.
See the full announcement page for judge comments and event details.
News
Katherine Magyarody Wins PEN/America Short Story Prize for Emerging Writers
Congratulations to Katherine Magyrarody, whose 2016 Open Season Award story, "Goldhawk," is one of twelve winners of the 2017 PEN America Robert J. Dau Short Story Prize for Emerging Writers!
Each writer will receive a cash prize of $2,000 and will be honoured at the annual PEN America Literary Awards Ceremony in New York.
Read about Katherine's PEN/America Award win.
News
WordsThaw Writers Festival: Full Line-Up
The Malahat Review's annual literary festival line-up of authors is now complete!
For the fifth time, The Malahat Review brings readers and writers together at the University of Victoria in March, and this year we are celebrating Indigenous Perspectives. The WordsThaw Writers Festival also celebrates the publication of its Winter issue, Indigenous Perspectives: A Very Contemporary Literature.
Attending authors include Jordan Abel, Trevor Corkum, Erica Gies, Jennifer Manuel, Troy Sebastian, Yasuko Thanh, Leanne Simpson, Richard Van Camp, and more.
Full event and ticket information available on the WordsThaw website.
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #111, Spring 1995
Issue #111 features the winners of The Malahat’s 1995 Long Poem Prize: Esta Spalding, for “Aperture,” and Barbara Nickel, for “The Rosary Sonatas.” Also featured is work from Swedish poets Karin Bellman, Lennart Sjögren, and Staffan Söderblom, translated by Robin Fulton. Themes of nature and vulnerability predominate these pieces, as in Karin Bellman’s lines “I stand here. / naked with the shallow stones / the water and the crabs.” Read more.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Chloe Hogan-Weihmann).
E-Newsletter
Malahat lite: February 2017 Edition
February's newsletter celebrates the Indigenous Perspectives Issue, highlighting recent interviews with contributors Siku Allooloo and Lisa Bird-Wilson. Bird-Wilson's debut poetry collection, The Red Files was reviewed in the issue by Cara Lyn-Morgan. Also under the spotlight is Jordan Abel's poetry collection, Injun (Talonbooks), as reviewed by Michael Greenstein.
Contest goodies include a call for emerging fiction writers to submit works to the Far Horizons Award, held every two years in search of the best short story by a new writer. Entrants cannot have published a collection of work, but publication in literary magazines is acceptable!
And registration is now OPEN for our annual literary symposium, WordsThaw Writers Festival, held March 16 to 19 at the University of Victoria. We encourage all local literary enthusiasts to take part in four days of readings, panel discussions, workshops, and one-on-one writing critiques with writers from coast to coast.
Continue reading this month's newsletter.
News
Announcing the Open Season Contest Winners
The Malahat Review congratulates this year's contest winners!
Genevieve Lehr (poetry), Rebecca Morris (fiction), Matthew Hollett (creative nonfiction; pictured)
The award comes with a $1,500 prize and publication in the Malahat's spring issue.
Contest judges had great things to say about the winning submissions! Check out the full announcement page for the Open Season Award winners.
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #110, Spring 1995
This is an issue neatly divided into two parts. The first half of the journal is devoted to the winning entry in the first-ever Malahat Novella Prize. This prize still runs, alternating years with the Long Poem Prize. The 1995 winning piece is an accomplished, assured work of fiction from Sorayya Khan that unfolds in a tightly controlled and deeply emotional way. Read more.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Micaela Maftei).
News
Finalists Announced: Open Season Contest
We're pleased to announce the finalists for the 2017 Open Season Awards!
Thanks to all supporters and entrants for making this possible. The winners in each category (poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction), as chosen by contest judges Sina Queyras, Jaspreet Singh, and Molly Peacock, respectively, will be announced by February 3.
See the list of the
Open Season Contest finalists here.
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #109, Winter 1994
“These are family secrets you need to know about, in order that your descendents realize whereof they spring and the whyfors of their existence on earth” — so speaks Mother of Leon Rooke’s short story, “Old Mother” which is told in his Rookishly fabulous, southern gothic sort of way. The story is a delight in an issue full of delightful things. Read more.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Jay Ruzesky).
E-Newsletter
Malahat lite: January 2017 Edition
Happy New Year, Malahat devotees! The first newsletter of 2017 is full of great interviews and sneak peeks at the Indigenous Perspectives Issue, hot off the press.
Interviews: Jordan Abel, poetry contributor to the Indigenous Perspectives Issue, talks with Malahatbooks reviewer Carleigh Baker about his poem, "Terra Nullius (3-5)". Janet Rogers (pictured), this year's inaugural WordsThaw Prize judge, talks with current Victoria Poet Laureate, Yvonne Blomer, about what she'll be looking for in winning poems. And 2016's Creative Nonfiction Prize winner, Lynn Easton, talks with Kate Kennedy about her winning piece, "The Equation."
Contests: The Malahat has two contest deadlines approaching! Local emerging Victoria authors are encouraged to enter the WordsThaw Prize (deadline January 22), in either micro poetry or micro text genres. Two winners of $500 will be chosen, and finalists will win $25 gift certificates to Munro's Books. For fans of the longer form, the biennial Long Poem Prize deadline is February 1; two prizes of $1000 will be given away!
Read all about these features and more in the January newsletter.
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #108, September 1994
This issue contains the three winners of the Malahat’s 1994 Long Poem Prize: Marilyn Bowering’s “How Were the People Made?,” Rhea Tregebov’s “Whoever I Think I Am,” and Sue Wheeler’s “Personal Effects.” These three excellent poems, along with multiple contributions by Esta Spalding and Erin Mouré, will make this issue especially appealing to lovers of poetry.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by James Kendrick).
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #106, March 1994
This issue does not contain any reviews, and is instead devoted exclusively to poetry and fiction. It begins with three poems from Susan Musgrave: “Imagine,” “Effort of Love,” and “Depression in Debrecen.” All three poems explore past trauma through the guise of every day activity, summed up beautifully in these lines from “Imagine”: “there is nothing / to eat, there is nothing to drink, / there is only history.” Read more.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Rose Morris).
Contests
Enter the Long Poem Prize by February 1
The Malahat's biennial Long Poem Prize is back!
This contest is one of the few in North America that accept long poems. Two prizes of $1,000 (Canadian funds) will be awarded, with winners' poems being published in the summer 2017 issue and interviews with each winner appearing on our website.
The entry fee is $35 (Canada), $40 (US), $45 (international); additional entries cost $15 from anywhere, no limit. Entry fee gets you a year's worth of Malahat issues!
Contest judges this year are Louise Bernice Halfe, George Elliott Clarke, and Patricia Young.
Click here for contest guidelines and submission details.
Publishing Tips
The Gatekeeper Function
December's Publishing Tip comes to you from Canadian writer and blogger, Oscar Martens. In his article, he outlines a writer's tough choices when seeking publication: endure long waits from publishers and slim chances of making it with a literary agent, or go the lone route and self-publish?
Sarah spent the last few years publishing in literary journals, making the short list of the CBC contest, and finishing her first novel. She ranked her submission targets, sending queries to agents first. Response times varied from hours, to days, to months, to never. One agent was very complimentary, stressing her taut expression and original thought, before ultimately declining. A few others wanted to charge a reading fee, and that didn't seem right.
Read the rest of Oscar Martens' Publishing Tip here.
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #103, Summer 1993
This issue is anchored by a remarkable final piece. Closing the magazine, we find a 16-page, four-part long story by Steven Heighton. “To Everything a Season” is the work of a confident, assured writer. Heighton had just been named a finalist for the Journey Prize the previous year, and received a National Magazine Award for fiction. In the decades since this publication, he has released works of poetry, essays, and fiction, and has been widely recognized for his work, including with a Governor General’s Award for Poetry in 2016. Read more.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Micaela Maftei).
E-Newsletter
Malahat lite: December 2016 Edition
It's the most wonderful time of the year... for Malahat newsletter goodies!
Interviews: you love 'em, we got 'em. The Long Poem Prize is now accepting submissions, and Malahat devotees took some time to speak with the contest judges: Louise Bernice Halfe, George Elliott Clarke, and Patricia Young (pictured). Other interviews include Malahat editor John Barton and writer Elizabeth Ross on cancer and recovery in her memoir, "Evidence of Disease," published in our recent Autumn issue.
Publishing Tips: Canadian writer and blogger Oscar Martens weighs the pros and cons of publishing houses versus self publishing. Do you send your manuscript to a publishing house and endure long waits and rejection, or go the lone-wolf route and take on the staggering task of promotion and publicity?
Goodies: holiday subscriptions are on for $15! Great stocking stuffer ideas this Christmas season for a loved one, a friend, or even yourself. Good for new subscriptions, or renewals / extensions of current subscriptions.
Discover all this and more in the December edition of Malahat lite.
Contests
New Contest for Greater Victoria Area Writers
To celebrate the upcoming WordsThaw Writers Festival in spring 2017, we're pleased to announce the first-annual WordsThaw Prize! Deadline is January 22, 2017.
An exciting showcase of emerging talent in Greater Victoria, this contest will award a cash prize of $500 each in two categories: Poetry and Micro Text (either short fiction or creative nonfiction). Contest judge is Janet Rogers.
The entry fee is $20 for one poem OR micro text; unlike our other contests, we will only accept one entry per person in either genre.
Your entry fee gets you a full festival pass to the WordsThaw Writers Festival in March 2017, as well as a one-year subscription / renewal extension to the Malahat.
Click here for full contest guidelines and submission details.
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #102, March 1993
This issue is notable for its many contributors who went on to win a Governor General’s Award later in their careers. Roo Borson, who won the GG in 2004, has four poems in this issue including tributes to Robert Gray and George Bowering. Greg Hollingshead’s “Rose Cottage,” first published here, went on to be part of his short story collection The Roaring Girl, which won the Governor General’s Award for fiction in 1995. Read more.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Rose Morris).
Subscribe
Holiday Subscription Offer!
Celebrate the holidays with one-year subscriptions to the Malahat! Great digital stocking stuffers for loved ones (or yourself).
This gift offer comes but once each year. First-time subscriptions will begin with Indigenous Perspectives, our Winter 2016 focus on contemporary Indigenous writing in Canada today, to be delivered in late January / early February 2017.
Buy a holiday subscription today.
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #101, Winter 1992
The issue is filled with exceptional writing—the two winning entries in the 1992 Long Poem Prize, and some fantastic pieces of short fiction. The poetry winners, D’arcy Randall and Marjorie Stelmach, each offer work to get lost in, poems that present an entrance into a complex new world. Read more.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Micaela Maftei).
E-Newsletter
Malahat lite: November 2016 Edition
Take a break from election news to read this month's newsletter!
Events: Join us November 23 at the University of Victoria for P. K. Page at 100: A Celebratory Reading in honour of one of Canada's most outstanding writers. A group of close friends will be reading from her work to pay tribute to her life and accomplishments on what would've been her 100th birthday.
Interviews: Weyman Chan's poem, "Here I Am," appears in our latest Autumn issue, and he lets us in on experimental poetry and the Calgary writing scene. Horror aficionado Jacqueline Baker (pictured) discusses fairy-tale influence in her short story, "Down Burned Road." And Zailig Pollock immerses us in the legacy of P. K. Page.
Lit goodies: don't forget, students can sign up for a $12 one-year print subscription until November 20! Regular prices are $35 to $45, depending on location. And if you're more into tablet than tree, save the paper and get yourself a digital subscription to the Malahat, just $20 for one year!
Discover all this and more in the November edition of Malahat lite.
News
P. K. Page at 100: A Celebratory Reading
Immortality is not easy to come by, but if anyone has attained it, it would be Victoria poet P. K. Page.
On Wednesday, November 23rd at the University of Victoria, a group of writers and friends will gather to read from her works and to pay tribute to the life and accomplishments of one of Canada's most celebrated writers on what would have been her one hundredth birthday.
Featured readers include John Barton, Lucy Bashford, Lorna Crozier, Sandra Djwa, Patrick Friesen, Eve Joseph, Patrick Lane, Carol Matthews, Jay Ruzesky, Rachel Wyatt, Derk Wynand, Patricia Young, and Terence Young. The reading, emceed by Yvonne Blomer, will be followed by a panel discussion, moderated by Nicholas Bradley.
Click here for event details on P. K. Page's Celebratory Reading.
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #99, Summer 1992
Two very well-known authors in the Canadian literary scene made contributions to this issue—P.K. Page sat on the editorial board, and Michael Ondaatje provided the cover photo. Readers will also find two poems by John Pass, winner of last year’s Open Season Award for poetry. These unusual and enigmatic poems are likely to stick in your head and make you wonder what’s at the bottom of them. Read more.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by James Kendrick).
News
2016 Creative Nonfiction Contest Winner
The Malahat Review congratulates Lynn Easton as this year's Constance Rooke Creative Nonfiction Prize winner!
Her entry, "The Equation," was chosen by final judge Lee Maracle from over 180 entries, our biggest creative nonfiction contest draw to date.
The award comes with a $1,000 prize, a hefty set of book prizes, and publication in the Indigenous Perspectives winter issue of the Malahat.
Check out the full announcement page for Lynn Easton's win.
News
Shortlist Announced: Creative Nonfiction Prize
We're pleased to announce the shortlist for the 2016 Constance Rooke Creative Nonfiction Prize! We received a record number of entries this year, and are excited to post the finalists.
Thanks to all supporters and entrants for making this possible. The grand prize winner, as chosen by contest judge Lee Maracle, will receive $1,000 and book prizes. Stay tuned for the announcement next week!
Check out the shortlisted candidates here.
Contests
Open Season Contest: Book Prizes Announced!
This year's contest deadline is two weeks away (November 1), and to sweeten the pot, we're giving away a collection of books to one lucky entrant!
All you have to do is enter the contest, and you'll be automatically entered to win all seven books!
Don't forget about the grand prize of $4,500, to be distributed evenly over three categories: poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. Entrants can mix and match their genres and there's no limit to how many times you can enter.
Click here for full contest submission and payment details.
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #98, Spring 1992
Issue 98 is special for a number of reasons: it’s two away from Issue 100; it uses on the cover an assemblage painting by the Canadian artist Lee Goreas called “Blackboard Lesson #1”; and the opening fiction selection, which takes up almost half of the literary content of the issue, is a fantastic novella called “Goon of the Moon and the Expendables” by the late Adel Wiseman. Read more.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Jay Ruzesky).
E-Newsletter
Malahat lite: October 2016 Edition
It's spooky how much great content is in this month's e-newsletter!
Interviews: Vancouver writer and spoken word poet Erin Kirsh talks about her Autumn Issue poem, "Attachments Anyway," and reads it aloud in a special Malahat exclusive recording.
Publishing Tip: Canadian writer and reviewer Phoebe Wang (pictured) delivers a handful of excellent tips to both emerging and established writers on pitching work to publishers. Submit early and submit often!
Digital edition: we're offering a new platform to read on tablets, smartphones, and e-readers to Malahat lovers all over the world!
Discover all this and more in the October edition of Malahat lite.
Subscribe
Digital Subscriptions and Issues Now Available
The Malahat has gone digital!
We now offer digital subscriptions and single issues for purchase to read on your phone, tablet, or e-reader! Wherever you live in the world, receive the digital edition for $20 (one year) or $30 (two year), and single issues for $8.
If you would like to receive both the print and digital editions, bundles are available for the cost of the print subscription. This bundle option is a limited offer, so subscribe now!
Please note that libraries are not supported for digital purchases.
Click here to visit the Malahat's digital store.
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #97, Winter 1991
This issue contains two winners of the 1991 Long Poem Prize; Crispin Elsted’s “Kenfield Variations” and Jennifer Mitton’s “With a Mother in Such Pain.” Both are poems not to miss, and that you will definitely want to re-read for maximum enjoyment. Read more.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by James Kendrick).
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #96, Fall 1991
Issue ninety-six opens with an excerpt from Louise Young’s play “Hungry Ghosts”, which won the CBC Playwriting Competition in 1989. Young completed two BFAs at the University of Victoria (in creative writing and painting) and the influence of painting comes through in “Hungry Ghosts,” which can be described as ethereal, surreal, and dizzying: “I’m in a room filled with oppressive flowers and satin and Samuel’s waxen body sleeps before me.” Images appear like brushstrokes: “…small yellow leaves catch in the blue sky like a dress caught in the barb of a fence.” Read more.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Celina Silva).
E-Newsletter
Malahat lite: September 2016 Edition
Back to school, back to work... back to writing!
Interviews: Open Season Award judges Sina Queyras, Jaspreet Singh, and Molly Peacock talk about their respective genres, with tips to contest entrants on how to up the chances of winning some of the $4,500 prize. Poetry contributor Steve McOrmond discusses his poems to appear in the Summer issue. And Far Horizons Poetry Award winner Yusuf Saadi talks about the creative process for his winning poem.
Journey Prize Nomination: Short story writer J. R. McConvey's Malahat story, "Home Range," was recently announced as a contender for the $10,000 Journey Prize. This same story won our annual Jack Hodgins Founders' Award for the best piece of fiction to have been published in 2015.
Student discount: for a limited time, get a one-year subscription for $12 if you're a high school, college, or university student. Buy one for yourself or a friend!
Discover all this and more in the September edition of Malahat lite.
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #95, Summer 1991
Hello Malahat. Now, you’ve been around since 1967. You’ve reached out internationally and now have a focus on Canadian writing. Some would say you’re the envy of the block and that you are the leading literary journal in the country. Well, what we would say is… The Malahat Review — THIS is YOUR life! Read more.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Jay Ruzesky).
News
Malahat Author Nominated for Journey Prize
Malahat short story author J. R. McConvey has been nominated for this year's $10,000 Journey Prize with his story, "Home Range"! (Click here to read an excerpt.) This story was originally published in Issue 192, Autumn 2015, and won the Malahat's annual Jack Hodgins' Founders Award for Fiction, honouring the best piece published in the previous year.
Read more on McConvey's Journey Prize nomination.
Contests
Open Season Contest Now Taking Submissions
The Malahat's annual Open Season Contest is now accepting entries! Send in your best poetry, fiction, and/or creative nonfiction for a chance at the grand prize: $4,500! A winner in each genre will receive a portion of the prize ($1,500 each). Contest deadline is November 1, 2016.
This year's contest judges are Sina Queyras (poetry), Jaspreet Singh (fiction), and Molly Peacock (creative nonfiction). Entrants can send work for one or all three genres if they wish! Additional entries cost $15 and there's no limit. All entries come with a complimentary one-year subscription to The Malahat Review.
Click here for full contest submission and payment details.
Publishing Tips
Working with an Editor
August's Publishing Tip comes to you from local Victoria writer, Tricia Dower. In her article, she explains the careful tug-and-pull of working with an editor, and reiterates what all writers know they'll one day have to do: kill your darlings.
If you've been published, you've probably felt the deft touch of an editor, whether on big picture matters or line-by-line copy edits. Having received my first publishing credit only twelve years ago, I don't feel expert enough to give advice, but I‘m happy to share what I've learned about working with editors.
It's a privilege.
Imagine, someone actually wants to talk about what you've written. And getting to work with a professional editor on someone else's dime is like receiving a windfall. But the benefits are more than monetary. The best editors call up a better me. They stretch me as an artist and as a human.
Read the rest of her Publishing Tip here.
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #94, Spring 1991
One of the things I liked best about being an intern at Malahat in the 1980s was that we didn’t have email. Contributors had to send us their work on disks, or else minions like me had to transcribe the story or poem into our computer from the original hard copy (I know, right?). But it turns out that typing out the poems of others is an excellent exercise for a young wannabe. In the process, the scribe becomes the poet, breaking lines in the same place and making identical word choices. To produce a good forgery of a Picasso, one must necessarily understand Picasso. Read more.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Jay Ruzesky).
E-Newsletter
Malahat lite: August 2016 Edition
The Summer issue has been mailed to Malahat readers across the globe, and we have great interviews to accompany the writing inside!
Interviews: fiction board member Lee Henderson speaks with Elyse Friedman about her latest short story, "Seventeen Comments," and the issues it raises about Internet comment sections. Creative nonfiction board member Frances Backhouse talks with Kelly Bouchard about homelessness and spending time in a Las Vegas shelter as depicted in his memoir, "Women and Children."
Publishing Tip: Victoria writer Tricia Dower explains the careful tug-and-pull of working with an editor, and reiterates what all writers know they'll one day have to do: kill your darlings.
News and Contests: time's running out to submit entries to the Indigenous Perspectives Issue (deadline August 15). And we've opened submissions for this year's Open Season Contest!
Discover all this and more in the August edition of Malahat lite.
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #93, Winter 1990
This issue is bookended by fiction, beginning with Eliza Clark’s “Acceptable Door Prizes” – an excerpt from her then-unpublished novel Miss You Like Crazy – and ending with U.S. author Margaret Barrett’s short story “In the Presence of an Ideal.” Both of these pieces are narrated by women and depict complex internal struggle. “Acceptable Door Prizes” follows protagonist Maylou as she meets a stranger (who isn’t really a stranger after all) and the two of them process their grief over each having recently lost someone close to them. Read more.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Rose Morris).
News
A George Elliott Clarke Reader: Poems, Poems!
Open The Malahat Review's Summer 2016 issue and read "Othello: By Donatien Alphonse François, Marquis de Sade," a new long poem by George Elliott Clarke, drawn from his opus-in-progress, Canticles. This stirring and disturbing romp of a poem is also illustrated by one of a series of works by the Nova Scotia-based artist, Lara Martina, that respond to George's take on Shakespeare's tragic hero, as channeled through Sade. Lara is one of Clarke's long time collaborators.
To celebrate George's most recent appearance in the Malahat, we've assembled a "reader" composed of separate interviews with the poet and with his illustrator, starting with and departing from "Othello..."; a video-clip of George in performance at a club in Nanaimo; and the first-time, web-exclusive publication of "The Testament of Ulysses X," another poem from Canticles. You may read the full text of this poem or listen to George's performance of it, recorded while he was the 2015 Ralph Gustafson Distinguished Poet at Vancouver Island University in Nanaimo.
Click here for the George Elliott Clarke reader.
News
Elyse Friedman's story "Seventeen Comments" Invites Readers to Add to Comment Section
Ever wanted to add your own comments to a Malahat story? Now's your chance!
Elyse Friedman's "Seventeen Comments" is featured in Issue #195, Summer 2016. It satirizes the reality of online comment sections and the role of cyber anonymity as numerous posters flame each other following a review of a trendy new restaurant. We've posted the story online and we're giving readers the chance to add their own comments to it!
Read her story online, and add your own comment to the blog section.
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #91, Summer 1990
This issue begins with "Flight," a not-so-short story by Holley Rubinsky (d. 2015). At thirty-five pages long, this is a bold choice; the story makes up nearly a third of the issue's length. At the time, Rubinsky had recently won the first ever Journey Prize, and her short story collection Rapid Transits and Other Stories was a few months away from publication. "Flight" is a tightly controlled, powerful piece, and despite its length it would be difficult to suggest any areas where cutting wouldn't damage the story. Read more.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Micaela Maftei).
News
2016 Far Horizons Poetry Contest Winner
Yusuf Saadi has won this year's Far Horizons Poetry Award!
Saadi's entry was selected from over 500 contest submissions by Steven Heighton. The caliber of poem was exceptionally high this year, and for Heighton, "...choosing the winner of this year's Far Horizons Award was so hard that [he] might never judge a contest again."
The award comes with a $1,000 prize, and his winning poem will be published in the 2016 Autumn issue of the Malahat.
Check out the full announcement for Yusuf Saadi's win.
E-Newsletter
Malahat lite: July 2016 Edition
Check out this month's Malahat lite e-newsletter for lots of Summer Issue previews!
Interviews: CNF Contest Judge, Lee Maracle, talks about learning to write for oneself. Canadian Parliamentary Poet Laureate, George Elliott Clarke, discusses his bravura long poem "Othello...", set to appear in the Summer Issue. Lara Martina, illustrator for Clarke's poems, lets us in on the magic of artistry and what it's like working with Clarke. And Leanne Betasamosake Simpson, CNF Editor for the Indigenous Perspectives Issue, invites writers to submit to this special issue on contemporary Indigenous writing in Canada.
News and Offers: The Far Horizons Poetry Contest shortlist has been announced (13 poems chosen from over 500). And we're offering a special $15 summer subscription rate until September!
Discover all this and more in the July edition of Malahat lite.
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #90, Spring 1990
In Issue 90 the reader enters Malahat’s literary time machine back to the year 1990. A relationship to nature and a concern for environmental destruction is prominent, making for a relevant read twenty-six years later, and a fitting read to take outside to the beach or backyard. Read more.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Celina Silva).
News
Far Horizons Poetry Contest: The Shortlist
We're pleased to announce the shortlist for the 2016 Far Horizons Poetry Contest! Over 500 poems were received in total, and careful readers have whittled them down to 13 finalists.
Thanks to all supporters and entrants for making this possible. The grand prize winner of $1000, as chosen by final judge Steven Heighton, will be announced by July 15 online and through social media.
Check out the shortlisted candidates here.
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #89, Winter 1989
Hands up: how many of you have heard of Trevor Ferguson? He may well be Canada's Cormac McCarthy. I make the comparison because McCarthy published his first novel in 1965 and from that beginning on, his work was seen by critics as something special. But it didn't sell for decades. Ferguson published his first book in 1977 and has also since been lauded as a master of literary fiction. But he hasn't won the prizes and isn't a household name. All you have to do to understand why his lack of notoriety is a CanLit wrong that ought to be righted, is to read the first offering in this issue of Malahat. Read more.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Jay Ruzesky).
Publishing Tips
Finding Your Strength in Retreating
June's Publishing Tip comes to you from Julie Paul, local Victoria poet, short-story writer and former Malahat fiction board member. Looking to go on a writing retreat? Read her advice, pack your bags, and start writing!
The act of writing has many requirements, but above all, it needs time. No matter what type of writing you do, or how accomplished or new you are to the art—a lack of dedicated writing time is often the biggest stumbling block in the way of getting the work done.
Sometimes ten minutes at lunch is all you have. But what if you want to dive in deeper? What if your project needs uninterrupted time in which to grow and flourish? Rather than forcing a bloom, why not try a writing retreat?
Read the rest of her Publishing Tip here.
News
Meet the Guest Editors of the Indigenous Perspectives Issue
The Malahat Review is pleased to present the three guest editors for its Indigenous Perspectives Issue!
The issue is being guest-edited by Philip Kevin Paul (poetry; pictured), Richard Van Camp (fiction), and Leanne Betasamosake Simpson (creative nonfiction). All three are Indigenous writers from Canada with numerous publication and award credits under their belts.
Click here to read about the judges!
Full details here on submitting to Indigenous Perspectives (deadline August 15).
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #88, Autumn 1989
Many of the short stories in this issue are concerned with isolation, love, and loss. They are voice-driven pieces with quirky characters. The opening story will later become the title of Greg Hollingshead’s 1992 collection. White Buick twines a narrative out of a childless marriage, a tenant who is largely referred to as “the whore,” and a Buick that can miraculously heal itself. Read more.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by K'ari Fisher).
E-Newsletter
Malahat lite: June 2016 Edition
This month's e-newsletter has great interviews, tips and contest information! Keep reading for literary goodies...
Sonnet L'Abbé interviews former Griffin Poetry Prize winner Sylvia Legris about life as a poet. Legris' poem "Recto: The Bladder. / Verso: The Lungs, c. 1508" appears in the Spring issue of the Malahat.
Ktunaxa community author Troy Sebastian interviews Indigenous author Richard Van Camp, fiction guest editor for the Indigenous Perspectives issue. This issue will be published in January 2017 and is accepting poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction from Indigenous writers all over Canada.
Former fiction board member Julie Paul, who won the 2015 Victoria Book Prize, offers a Publishing Tip to writers looking to get away on retreats. Read her advice, pack your bags, and start writing!
Discover all this and more in the June edition of Malahat lite.
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #86, Spring 1989
As always, Malahat features writers at different stages of their careers, and this issue is no exception, beginning with a genre-hopping photograph by Michael Ondaatje on the cover. Honours art student, Bonnie Curran, has four Scottish “sheep” photographs that lead us into Susan Glickman’s longish poem, “Henry Moore’s Sheep.” In fact, I would say this is very much a poetry issue. Read more.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Lucy Bashford).
News
Call for Submissions: Indigenous Perspectives
The Malahat Review invites writers who identify as First Nations, Métis and Inuit to submit their unpublished work to an upcoming issue on contemporary Indigenous writing in Canada.
To be published in January 2017, Indigenous Perspectives will celebrate the aesthetics, concerns, contributions, and achievements of Indigenous authors living in or from “Canada,” recognizing their crucial role in providing a truly complete picture of what it is like to be alive in North America in the past, future, and especially today.
The issue is being guest-edited by Philip Kevin Paul (poetry), Richard Van Camp (fiction), and Leanne Betasamosake Simpson (creative nonfiction).
The Malahat Review, a literary quarterly published by the University of Victoria, acknowledges that it operates on the unceded territory of the Coast and Straits Salish people, including the Lekwungen family group, Checkonien, and Sungayka village.
More details on submitting to the Indigenous Perspectives issue (submission deadline is August 15, 2016).
Contests
Call for Submissions: Constance Rooke Creative Nonfiction Prize ($1000 to one winner)
When one (contest) door closes, another opens: this year's CNF Contest is wide open and accepting entries for consideration of the $1000 prize! Deadline is August 1.
Send us your best personal essay, memoir, biography, travel piece, social commentary, or historical account... if it's real and creative—and between 2000 to 3000 words—we want to read it!
All entrants receive a complimentary one-year subscription to the Malahat. Entries cost between $35 and $45 depending on where you live. All additional entries cost $15, no limit.
This year's contest judge is Lee Maracle. Read all about her here (interview coming in the July edition of Malahat lite e-newsletter).
Submit your entries to the CNF Contest.
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #85, July 1988
Issue 85 opens with a searing story from the late Holley Rubinsky (1943-2015). Here are the first two sentences, a classic storytelling approach with punch: “Ginger Dawn, who is nearing seven now and just full of it, is down the road picking on some chickens. I am on the veranda, reading an eviction letter written by some lawyers in Seattle, Washington.” And from there, I couldn’t stop reading Rubinsky’s “Grounding,” which explores the desperate weeks after the narrator’s elderly friend and caretaker has died and she is forced to confront the fact that she and her daughter may soon be homeless. Read more.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Stephanie Harrington).
E-Newsletter
Malahat lite: May 2016 Edition
This month's e-newsletter has lots of info on upcoming theme issues, news and interviews with contest winners, and a National Magazine Award nomination!
News: Susan Olding has received a NMA nomination for "White Matter," her creative nonfiction piece originally published in Issue #193: Mapping CNF in Canada. Winners will be announced at a special gala in Toronto on June 10, and all Malahat staff are crossing their fingers!
Interviews: Novella Prize winner Anne Marie Todkill discusses framing and narration in her winning novella story, "Next of Kin.". Founders Award for Fiction winner J. R. McConvey talks about the theme of grief in his winning piece, "Home Range." And Kate Cayley lets us in on truth and identity in her story, "The Ascent," published in our Spring Issue.
Calls for Submissions: we have two theme issues coming up, and we're looking for writers to send us their work! An issue on Indigenous Perspectives (deadline August 15, 2016) and on Victoria Past / Present / Future (deadline May 15, 2017) may both be our biggest and best issues yet.
Discover all this and more in the May edition of Malahat lite.
News
Susan Olding Receives National Magazine Award Nomination
Great news! Canadian writer Susan Olding has been nominated for a National Magazine Award in the Essays category for her nonfiction piece, "White Matter," which originally appears in Issue #193 of the Malahat. This issue, published in January 2016, highlights the best of creative nonfiction in Canada today.
Susan Olding's work has won and been nominated for multiple awards, including previous National Magazine Awards. Our fingers are crossed that "White Matter" makes the cut for this year's NMAs!
Full list of National Magazine Award nominees here.
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #83, July 1988
As I stare at the cover of this particular issue of The Malahat Review, three smiling faces greet me, welcoming me to the realm of their works. These women, Paulette Jiles, Diana Hartog, and Sharon Thesen, are the focus of this issue, with a generous selection of their poetry and with a preceding interview by editor Constance Rooke. Read more.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Miranda Marini).
News
Victoria Past, Victoria Present, Victoria Future
To celebrate its first half-century and to launch itself into its second, The Malahat Review will publish a theme issue on Victoria writing past, present, and future in Autumn 2017.
Victoria is known nationally and internationally for a remarkably vibrant writing scene that has a depth of accomplishment spanning more than a century, one equalling, if not rivaling the achievements of literary cities…to the east…that are two, three, even ten times its size.
Since 1967, as an anchor of Victoria writing, The Malahat Review has had the good fortune to launch and sustain the reputations of many Victoria writers by publishing their work at all stages of their careers. Victoria PAST, Victoria PRESENT, Victoria FUTURE aims to honour this beautiful “long-term” relationship in a festschrift that will reveal where Victoria writing has come from, where it is today, and where it may be heading.
More details on the Victoria theme issue announcement page.
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #82, March 1988
Having contributed several columns to Our Back Pages, reviewing issues from The Malahat’s previous editorial eras from long before I joined the staff in 2004, I find myself convinced there is no such thing as a “bad” Malahat Review. Not to say that every single poem or short story is necessarily my cup of tea, but that, without exception, one can pull down a random back issue and be largely amazed. Witness: Number 82, from the Spring of 1988. Read more.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Rhonda Batchelor).
News
2016 Novella Prize Winner: Anne Marie Todkill
The Novella Prize winner has been chosen!
Canadian writer Anne Marie Todkill has been chosen as the grand prize winner of the 2016 Novella Prize. Her story, "Next of Kin," was selected from 225 entries by contest judges Mark Anthony Jarman, Stephen Marche, and Joan Thomas as the best piece submitted.
The award comes with a $1500 cash prize, and Todkill's winning Novella will be published in the Summer issue.
More details on the Novella Prize announcement page.
E-Newsletter
Malahat lite: April 2016 Edition
Love literary contests? So do we! This edition of Malahat lite is chock full of contest news, interviews, and updates.
Far Horizons Poetry Award: this contest runs every other year and is open to emerging poets who have yet to publish their work in book form. Contest fee is reduced to encourage young writers to submit. Steven Heighton, a prominent Canadian poet, is contest judge -- in an exclusive interview, he dishes hearty advice on poetry!
Founders' Awards: each year, the Malahat honours the best in poetry and fiction within its pages. The Jack Hodgins Fiction Award, and the P. K. Page Poetry Award, each bestow a $1000 prize to the writer of the best Malahat piece from the previous year. In 2016, we launched the Charles Lillard Founders' Award for Creative Nonfiction in honour of the late B.C. writer. See the full list of 2016 winners here.
Novella Prize: the shortlist has been announced, and one winner will take home $1500! Winner will be revealed April 8.
Discover all this and more in the April edition of Malahat lite.
News
Winners of the 2016 Founders' Awards
This year's Founders' Award winners have been announced!
Each year, a $1000 prize is awarded to the best piece of fiction and poetry that appeared in the Malahat the previous year. The Jack Hodgins' Founders Award for Fiction, and the P. K. Page Founders' Award for poetry, were both established in 2007 to acknowledge the outstanding excellence of Malahat contributors.
New this year is the Charles Lillard Founders' Award for Creative Nonfiction, a special addition that honours the late Charles Lillard for his contribution to B.C. culture and literature.
And the three Founders' Award winners for 2016 are...
News
2016 Novella Prize Shortlist Announced
We're pleased to announce the shortlist for the 2016 Novella Prize! A staggering 225 entries were received for this contest, and we've carefully whittled the numbers down to just six.
Thanks to all supporters and entrants for making this possible. The grand prize winner of $1500 will be announced by April 8 online and through social media.
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #81, March 1987
This poetry-rich issue opens with a moving last-minute addition from Phyllis Webb: “Gwen, I didn’t know it had been so bad, such a long / way down these past months….” Gwendolyn MacEwan had passed away just a few weeks earlier, and Webb’s raw response opens the issue. A sense of loss persists in many of the pieces here—in various ways, things are not quite right, and there’s often a sense of unease and darkness, sadness. Human beings suffer, and persevere, and suffer some more, trying to find out “How one part connects / with another / or fails to connect.” This comes from Derk Wynand, who has four poems in this issue; Wynand chaired the Department of Writing at UVic, and went on to become editor of The Malahat Review from 1992 to 1998. Read more.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Micaela Maftei).
Subscriptions
Spring Into Reading with the Malahat's Discounted Subscription Offer: $19.95!
Chase the winter blues away by sharing The Malahat Review with your fellow readers! Hop like the bunnies to grab this discounted offer.
We have priced a one-year subscription to The Malahat Review for just $19.95 specially to let you spread the Malahat’s spring weather near and far. Regular subscriptions cost between $35 and $45... you do the math!
Click here to purchase one for a friend (or yourself!).
Events
WordsThaw's Gala Reading, "Words on Ice," Features Green Party Leader Elizabeth May
The Malahat's annual literary festival descends on Victoria this week, March 16 - 20! We're prepped for four days of all things WordsThaw: a film premiere, a Lansdowne Lecture, readings, panel discussions, and workshops between readers and writers of all levels.
One of this year's highlighted readers is none other than Green Party Leader and MP Elizabeth May, who reads Friday, March 18 for Words on Ice, an evening gala reading celebrating Canadian literature. She is the author of eight books, most recently, Who We Are: Reflections on my Life and on Canada (2014) and Losing Confidence: Power, Politics and the Crisis in Canadian Democracy, (2009). Elizabeth is an environmentalist, writer, activist and lawyer, with a long record as a dedicated advocate — for social justice, for the environment, for human rights, and for pragmatic economic solutions. Elizabeth was named an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2005.
Click for more details about Words on Ice this Friday, March 18.
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #80, March 1987
Highlights of the issue include the opening story, “Bragg and Minna,” which would later appear in Timothy Findley’s fabulous collection of stories, Stones. In this piece, he take as a subject cancer, birth defects, homosexuality, and loss in his typically vivid and sometimes disturbing style. Another well-known storyteller — Thomas King — makes his first Malahat appearance in this issue with a story called “Not Counting the Indian, There Were Six.” Read more.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Jay Ruzesky).
Contests
Call For Entries: Far Horizons Award for Poetry
Calling all emerging poets! Our biennial Far Horizons Award for Poetry is open until May 1. We're on the hunt for poetry from writers who have yet to publish poetry in book form. Send us your best and you could win $1000!
This year's contest judge is Steven Heighton. An interview with Steven will be posted in April for all those eager poets wanting to see what he's looking for in a winning poem! While you wait, here's another great source of inspiration from Laura Ritland, 2014 Far Horizons Contest winner, in an interview with poetry board member Jay Ruzesky.
Click here for full contest details, including submission and payment options.
E-Newsletter
Malahat lite: March 2016 Edition
Spring has sprung, the blossoms are blooming, and here at the Malahat office, our annual literary event, Wordsthaw, is also set to bloom from March 16 to 20!
WordsThaw interviews: panelists Kim Trainor, Frances Backhouse, and Lisa Goddard each talk about their respective panel topics: the investigative poet, creative nonfiction in Canada today, and literary archives.
Open Season Award winner interviews: John Pass (poetry; pictured), Katherine Magyarody (fiction), and Jennifer Williamson (creative nonfiction) discuss their big wins ($1,500 each and publication) through the eyes of their prize-winning submissions.
Publishing Tip: Kateri Lanthier lets us in on the tricks of teaching creative writing, and the importance of being a reader as well as a writer.
We're also running a special Twitter-themed contest leading up to WordsThaw!
Discover all this and more in the March edition of Malahat lite.
Events
WordsThaw Prequel Event at UVic's Ideafest: "Prompts from the Past"
Presented by hosts Rhonda Batchelor of The Malahat Review and Christine Walde of Archives and Special Collections, University of Victoria Libraries, Prompts from the Past will introduce the wealth of material housed in Special Collections and explore ways in which this rich source might be tapped for creative projects. The second half of the session features a brief writing workshop, guided by Micaela Maftei, where interested participants can view selected items from the collection in order to produce a short piece of creative writing.
This event takes place Saturday March 12, 11:30 a.m. - 12:45 p.m., room A003 of the McPherson Library on UVic's campus. Admission is free and open to the public.
Read about more WordsThaw literary festival events taking place March 16 - 20!
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #78, March 1987
I came to this issue, billed as “A Special Issue on George Johnston,” knowing next to nothing about its subject. I can now quite honestly say that I’ve enjoyed the most splendid of introductions to this remarkable man. Read more.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Rhonda Batchelor).
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #77, March 1986
This issue of The Malahat Review begins with a calm, considered examination. Taken by Michael Ondaatje, the cover photograph of a man partially obscured by shadow presents us with a figure we can scrutinize, but who, by looking directly at us, almost into us, suggests that we are perhaps being read as well. The theme of looking within/being observed runs throughout this diverse, rich collection of work. Read more.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Micaela Maftei).
News
2016 Open Season Award Winners Announced
The Malahat Review is pleased to announce the winners of this year's Open Season Awards!
Congratulations to John Pass (poetry), Katherine Magyarody (fiction; pictured), and Jennifer Williamson (creative nonfiction), whose contest entries have won them $1,500 each, along with publication in the Spring 2016 issue. Each winner will also be interviewed for March's Malahat lite.
See what the contest judges had to say about the winning entries.
E-Newsletter
Malahat lite: February 2016 Edition
Lots of love this month, especially in anticipation of WordsThaw, our annual literary symposium taking place March 16 - 20 at the University of Victoria.
WordsThaw interviews: moderators Anita Lahey, Heather Dean, and Alisa Gordaneer each talk about their respective panels on the investigative poet, literary afterlives of archived collections, and creative nonfiction in Canada today.
CNF Issue Interviews: the Malahat's latest issue, dedicated entirely to works of creative nonfiction, is being read all over the world, and two of our authors have words of wisdom to share about their pieces! Dale Lee Kwong (pictured) discusses Chinese-Canadian history in "O, Canada," and Jesse Rae Archibald-Barber discusses indigenous aesthetics in "The Bowl Game."
We're also running a special Twitter-themed contest leading up to WordsThaw!
Discover all this and more in the February edition of Malahat lite.
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #75, March 1986
The beautiful cover photograph by noted poet Patricia Young is titled "Cousins," and while it probably would ruffle feathers if published these days it nevertheless captures an innocence and wonder that can’t help but bring a smile. The inside pages of this issue will do the same, with a rich variety of voices. Read more.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Rhonda Batchelor).
News
2016 Open Season Awards Shortlist Announced
We're pleased to announce the shortlist for the 2016 Open Season Awards! Finalists have been chosen in all categories: poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction.
Thanks to all supporters and entrants for making this possible. The grand prize winners will be announced by February 5 online and through social media. $4,500 in prize money to be won.
Open Season Awards shortlist available here.
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #74, March 1986
The 1986 Issue 74 opens with a contemporary 2015 topic – transgenderism. “Christina/Philippe” is a two hander by Per Brask, who trained as a Dramaturg in Denmark before immigrating to Canada. The play explores the conversations that might have taken place had two historical figures been able to meet and discuss their sexual identities. Read more.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Maureen Magee ).
Publishing Tips
Tips on Attention
Don't think you have the time to write? Ottawa writer and blogger rob mclennan dishes up hearty advice on snapping out of the writers' block mentality and strengthening your time-management regime.
Attention is a muscle, one that requires development. I know writers that require a soundless space and enforced solitude; I acknowledge that for some this is the only way to proceed, but it all seems a bit precious, akin to suggesting that one can’t do any work until life is perfect and calm (which never happens, as you know). Silence and attention are not mutually exclusive. So you want to write?
Read the rest of rob's publishing tip on unleashing your writing potential.
Issues
Our Back Pages:
Issue #71, June 1985
Malahat’s summer 1985 issue is a rich picnic basket of reading materials filled with literary forms and styles to suit the tastes of any reader—perfect for taking to the beach. As an appetizer, there are eight poems about angels by Gail Harris that complement the cover photograph (by David Tasker) of a divine cemetery statue. Read more.
Following the success of our 50 Issues Project, in which we highlighted select back issues in honour of the University of Victoria’s 50th anniversary, we decided to cast our gaze back, chronologically, over our complete backlist…to include (eventually!) brief reviews of every issue not previously covered. Featured issues will be highlighted on our website biweekly.
Continue reading about this week's featured issue (write-up by Jay Ruzesky).
E-Newsletter
Malahat lite: January 2016 Edition
Happy New Year! The first e-newsletter of 2016 is short and sweet, packed with details about the upcoming Novella Prize deadline and Creative Nonfiction Issue.
Novella Prize: deadline is fast approaching (February 1)! Send in a king-sized fiction story between 10- and 20,000 words to be eligible for the $1500 prize.
Content Interviews: Elusive Boundaries: Mapping CNF in Canada is set for print and mail later this month, and we're stocking our website with interviews by lucky contributors. This month, J.D. Zapf talks about blending fiction and nonfiction in his piece, "Median Love," and the interconnectivity of modern love in today's world.
Publishing Tip: Canadian writer and blogger rob mclennan dishes up hearty advice on snapping out of the writers' block mentality and strengthening your time-management regime.
Discover all this and more in the January edition of Malahat lite.
Read more stories from the Malahat news archive.
CONTEST
DEADLINES
Constance Rooke Creative Nonfiction Prize
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